How to use apply in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb

Apply means to lay or place; to put (one thing to another). Example: “We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.”

Examples of apply by meaning

verbTo lay or place; to put (one thing to another).

to apply cream to a rash

verbTo 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

verbTo make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.

We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.

verbTo work diligently and attentively.

My parents say I could do well in school if I would apply myself.

verbTo submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" or "at" designating the recipient of the submission, and the...

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.
Many of them don't know it, but almost a third of the inmates are eligible to apply for parole or work-release programs.

verbTo pertain or be relevant.

That rule only applies to foreigners.

More sentences with apply

Once he'd spied out my weaknesses, he'd know how to apply pressure.From the entry once
You'll have to get a medical before you apply for that job.From the entry medical
I need to prime these handrails before we can apply the finish coat.From the entry prime
We all urgently need to apply solutions to the problem of pollution.From the entry urgently
This new healthcare proposal merely applies a bandage to the current medical crisis.From the entry bandage
The generalized formula applies to all cases, the specialized one only works on simple problems.From the entry generalized
To cope with these mental gymnastics we apply various ways of simplifying and reducing the information.From the entry mental gymnastics
She danced flowingly across the stage, as though gravity and friction didn't apply to her.From the entry flowingly
He said he wanted a fair go to apply for the scholarship.From the entry fair go
Heavy rainfall is not the kind of exceptional phenomenon to which the Act of God exception applies.From the entry act of God
Apply aftersun lotion to avoid peeling and flaking caused by sun damage.From the entry aftersun
Allowance, a third income test applies on the incomes of the allowee's parents.From the entry allowee
She had a caked-up face after applying all layers of the blusher.From the entry caked up
You look really sunburnt; you should apply some cream.From the entry cream
Circle the jobs that you are interested in applying for.From the entry circle
Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.From the entry pressure
Cross the box which applies to you.From the entry cross
To apply for the position, complete the application form.From the entry form
Modern engineering applies science to practical problems.From the entry practical
If you apply that much voltage, you'll fry the resistor.From the entry fry
The locals watched, amused, as the tourists parched in the sun, having neglected to apply sunscreen or bring water.From the entry parch
I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch.From the entry patch
Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off.From the entry patch
Back up your documents folder before applying the update.From the entry back up
By applying electric potential to the neon atoms, the electrons become excited, then emit a photon when returning to normal.From the entry excite
The reform simplified the administrative process of applying for benefits.From the entry administrative
Applying crop rotation to a field avoids depleting soil nutrients the way repeated use of a single crop might do.From the entry rotation
A radio transmitter applies modulation to a carrier wave and the receiver applies demodulation to it to recover the message.From the entry demodulation
Wait 24 hours before applying an overcoat.From the entry overcoat
Apply the cleansing cream to your skin.From the entry cleansing
The Pythagorean theorem only applies to right triangles.From the entry Pythagorean theorem
Professor Stebbins didn't need to apply for government grants because his lab was bankrolled by a large pharmaceutical corporation.From the entry bankroll

Meaning of apply

verb To lay or place; to put (one thing to another).
verb To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case.
verb To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.

Full definition of apply

Questions about apply in a sentence

How do you use apply in a sentence?: Apply is used as a verb. For example: “We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.”
What is a short sentence with apply?: “That rule only applies to foreigners.”
What does apply mean?: Apply means to lay or place; to put (one thing to another).

Adapted from Wiktionary: apply (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use apply in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/apply. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.