killer app

noun

: a computer application of such great value or popularity that it assures the success of the technology with which it is associated
broadly : a feature or component that in itself makes something worth having or using

Examples of killer app in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Wall Street remains bullish, though, viewing Muse in particular as a potentially new killer app. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 If blockchain is the new core banking system, stablecoins will become the killer app. — Brett Turner, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Superintelligent agents in American companies may not be the killer app after all. — Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 7 June 2026 Home juicing is the killer app — more convenient and cheaper than commercial charging. — Tom Voelk, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for killer app

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of killer app was in 1988

Browse Nearby Words

killer
killer app
killer bar
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Killer app.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20app. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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