Apple Definition: Meaning, Usage and Examples

Simple, sweet, and everywhere in daily English:

You can’t swap “apple” for another word. But there are some substitutions for it:

Related nouns: fruit tree snack

Synonyms (contextual): none (apple is a specific noun)

Common collocations: apple pie apple tree apple juice Apple inc (brand)

The word “apple” shows up far beyond the kitchen. You’ll find it in idioms, stories, brands, and everyday expressions.

With adjectives: red/green/yellow apple fresh apple sweet/sour apple juicy/crisp apple

With verbs: eat an apple bite an apple cut/slice an apple peel an apple pick an apple

With nouns (noun + noun): apple pie apple juice apple tree apple orchard apple seeds

“Apple” pops up in colorful expressions that speak to love, danger, and dreams:

• The apple of one’s eye — someone who is deeply loved and cherished.

    His granddaughter is the apple of his eye.

• One bad apple spoils the whole barrel — one person’s negative behavior can affect an entire group.

    We had a good team until one bad apple ruined the morale.

• The Big Apple — a nickname for New York City.

    She dreams of making it big in the Big Apple.

The word “apple” in English seems basic, but its meanings and uses can be surprisingly rich. Time to test your knowledge with some fun exercises.

Look and listen to “apple” in different languages:

You can start the description of an apple by its color and form, but there is much more to learn if you look deeper. Apples have had an influence on our health, our past and some big-name brands in the industry.

• An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

  This saying appeared in Wales during the 19th century to encourage people to eat apples because they are healthy.

• Apples are able to float on top of water.

  Apples are mostly air which allows them to float.

• The record for the heaviest apple is more than 4 pounds.

  Grown in Japan, this apple was a fruit heavyweight champion, showing how big apples can get.

• All around the world, there are over 7,500 types of apples.

  Due to centuries of farming, apples come in a variety of sweet and tart tastes and textures.

• There is cyanide in apple seeds.

  There is a natural chemical found in the seeds of apples. The number of toxins is not enough to be harmful unless you overeat seeds.

• Apple Inc. was given its name because of the fruit.

  The word “Apple” was chosen by Steve Jobs because he thought it sounded friendly and was not overpowering.

Although the apple fruit description may sound basic, people have looked at it to understand science, faith and the cosmos.