apply

verb

to associate with, have a particular use
to ask for, submit a request for employment, support, or membership
painting
specialized: apply brakes

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈæp(ə)li/ / /əˈplaɪ/ / [əˈplaɪ] / [əˈplɑj]

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ébōl Proto-Germanic *aplaz Proto-West Germanic *applu Old English æppel Middle English appel English apple English -y English apply From apple + -y.

Alternative spelling of appley.

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Old French applierbor. Middle English aplien English apply Inherited from Middle English aplien, borrowed from Old French applier, from Latin applicō, from ad- + plicō (“fold; arrive”). See applicant, ply.

To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
“to apply cream to a rash”
“He said, and to the sword his throat applied.”
To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case
“to apply funds to the repayment of a debt”
To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.
“We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.”
“Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied.”
To put closely; to join; to engage and employ diligently or with attention.
“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”
To work diligently and attentively.
“My parents say I could do well in school if I would apply myself.”
To address oneself; to refer.
“sacred vows […] applied to grisly Pluto”
“On applying to the assessors, I am surprised to learn that they cannot at once name a dozen in the town who own their farms free and clear.”
To submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" or "at" designating the recipient of the submission, and the adposition "for" designating the position).
“I recently applied to the tavern for a job as a bartender.”
“Most of the colleges she applied to were ones she thought she had a good chance of getting into.”
To pertain or be relevant.
“That rule only applies to foreigners.”
To busy; to keep at work; to ply.
“She was no less skillful in applying his humours.”
To visit.
“His armour was so clear, And he applied each place so fast, that like a lightning thrown Out of the shield of Jupiter, in every eye he shone.”