application programming interface
noun
variants
or less commonly application program interface
computing
: a set of rules that allows programmers to develop software for a particular operating system without having to be completely familiar with that operating system
To fix this problem, trustbusters have installed a provision forcing Microsoft to disclose more information about its so-called application programming interfaces, or APIs.—
Business Week
—abbreviation API
Business WeekExamples of application programming interface in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When doing so, pay particular attention to what software might have interoperability challenges or need an application programming interface.
—Tom Dunlop, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The Bing Search APIs, or application programming interfaces, were once vital to many niche Google alternatives, but fell out of favor more recently as Microsoft hiked fees for the service and restricted its use.
—Paresh Dave, Wired News, 14 May 2025
Proper support for third-party passkey providers using an application programming interface will mean that password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden will be able to allow users to connect directly to the Windows 11 platform.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
These tools allow the gathering of data from diverse sources such as databases, file systems and application programming interfaces (API).
—Anujkumarsinh Donvir, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for application programming interface
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Tom Dunlop, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The Bing Search APIs, or application programming interfaces, were once vital to many niche Google alternatives, but fell out of favor more recently as Microsoft hiked fees for the service and restricted its use.
—Paresh Dave, Wired News, 14 May 2025
Proper support for third-party passkey providers using an application programming interface will mean that password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden will be able to allow users to connect directly to the Windows 11 platform.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
These tools allow the gathering of data from diverse sources such as databases, file systems and application programming interfaces (API).
—Anujkumarsinh Donvir, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for application programming interface
Cite this Entry
“Application programming interface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/application%20programming%20interface. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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