apple

AP-ul/ˈæp.l̩/

19 meanings of apple

1
fruitnouncountable or uncountable
A round fruit with red, green or yellow skin and crisp white flesh, eaten raw or cooked.
She packed an apple in her lunch every day.
We picked baskets of apples at the orchard this fall.
UsageSay an apple or two apples, but a piece of apple for part of one.
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2
treenouncountable
The kind of tree that apples grow on.
They planted an apple by the back fence last spring.
The apples along the lane were covered in white blossom each May.
UsageMost people say apple tree for the tree.
Similarmalus
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3
nouncountable
Any fruit, vegetable, or other plant growth like the common round fruit, often named with another word in front.
At the market we bought a sugar apple, a green fruit with soft, sweet flesh.
A round oak apple hung from the twig where a wasp had laid its eggs.
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4
personnounslangcountable
A slang word for a person.
He's a good apple who always helps his neighbors.
Those two are good apples who never cause trouble at the club.
UsageUsually a good apple or a bad apple. A few bad apples means a few bad people in a group.
Similarcharacter, customer, cookie
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5
round objectnouncountable
Something shaped or colored like the round fruit, such as a ball, globe, or breast.
A polished brass apple capped each end of the curtain rod.
The crown was set with small golden apples at its points.
Similarball, orb
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Less common meanings

6
cheeknouncolloquialcountable
The round, soft part of a cheek between the eye and the mouth that lifts when you smile.
When she grinned, the apples of her cheeks turned pink.
He kissed the soft apple of her cheek.
UsageUsually the apples of someone's cheeks.
7
woodnoununcountable
The wood of the apple tree.
The chef smoked the ribs over apple for a sweet flavor.
She carved a small spoon from a block of apple.
Similarapplewood
8
throat lumpnounabbreviationellipsis
Short form of Adam's apple. It means the lump at the front of the throat.
He looked with vague hope up and down the quay, a big apple bulging in his neck.
1922, James Joyce, “[Episode 10: Wandering Rocks]”Here, apple means the Adam's apple, the lump at the front of his throat.
The apple in his neck was hitting against his collar every time he drew breath and he tore at his collar nervously.
a. 1985 (date written), Liam O’Flaherty, “Josephine”Here, apple means the Adam's apple, the lump at the front of his throat.
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9
light greennounabbreviationellipsis
Short form of apple-green. It names a bright green color with a little yellow in it.
The T-shirt comes in apple, navy, and white.
On the paint chart, she chose a soft apple for her bedroom walls.
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10
eyeballnounarchaichistoricalabbreviationellipsis
Short form of apple of the eye. An old word for the pupil or the eyeball.
None have their eies all of one colour: for the ball or apple in the middeſt is ordinarily of another colour than the vvhite about it.
1601, Pliny the Elder, “[Book XI.] A Discourse Anatomicall, of the Nature of Living Creatures, Part by Part, according to Their Particular…Here, apple means the colored center of the eye, the pupil and iris.
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11
nounobsolete
A fleshy fruit whose edible part grows from the swollen base of the flower, not the seed core.
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12
ethnic insultnounslangderogatoryethnicoffensiveslurUScountable
An insulting word for a Native American person seen as acting or thinking like a white person.
Like saying someone is one color outside but a different color inside.
They cruelly called him an apple for leaving the reservation.
Some Native kids at her school called her an apple because all her friends were white.
UsageDo not use it about anyone.
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13
verbtransitive
To make something round like an apple, as a big smile does to the cheeks.
A large smile appled his full cheeks as the four sprytes eagerly served themselves from the seeds and thinly sliced fruits.
2007, Claudia D. Newcorn, Crossover
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14
baseballnoundated
The ball used in the game of baseball.
Like a nickname players use for the ball they throw and hit.
The pitcher gripped the apple and stared down the batter.
Hey Dad! What do you say we toss the old apple around, huh? Sound like fun?
1990, Matt Groening, Al JeanHere, apple means a baseball, the ball players throw and catch.
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15
nounslang
A pass or play that sets up a teammate to score a goal.
16
noun
A round shape in math, made by spinning a large arc around a line joining its two ends.
17
noun
A round, ball-shaped bowl on a tobacco pipe, or a pipe that has one.
18
nounslang
A person who enjoys talking on CB radio as a hobby.
19
verbdialectalUK
To gather fir cones, usually from the ground in a forest.

Practice

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Origin

The word apple comes from Old English æppel, meaning apple or any fruit. It may go back to an ancient Proto-Indo-European root for apple. The verb comes from the noun.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Apple descends from Old English æppel. en.wikipedia.org
Old English æppel could mean apple or any fruit. en.wiktionary.org
A Proto-Indo-European word for apple is a proposed ultimate ancestor. en.wiktionary.org
The verb apple derives from the noun. en.wiktionary.org