Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

apolo|gist /əpɒ lədʒ I st/ (apologists ) N‑COUNT An apologist is a person who writes or speaks in defence of a belief, a cause, or a person's life. [FORMAL ] □  'I am no apologist for Hitler,' observed Pyat.

apolo|gize /əpɒ lədʒa I z/ (apologizes , apologizing , apologized ) in BRIT, also use apologise VERB When you apologize to someone, you say that you are sorry that you have hurt them or caused trouble for them. You can say ' I apologize ' as a formal way of saying sorry. □ [V + for ] I apologize for being late. □ [V ] Costello later apologized, saying he'd been annoyed by the man. □ [V + to ] He apologized to the people who had been affected. [Also V with quote]

apol|ogy /əpɒ lədʒi/ (apologies )

1 N‑VAR An apology is something that you say or write in order to tell someone that you are sorry that you have hurt them or caused trouble for them. □  We received a letter of apology. □  He made a public apology for the team's performance.

2 N‑PLURAL [usu poss N ] If you offer or make your apologies , you apologize. [FORMAL ] □  When Mary finally appeared, she made her apologies to Mrs Madrigal.

3 PHRASE If you say that you make no apologies for what you have done, you are emphasizing that you feel that you have done nothing wrong. □  Union officials made no apologies for the threatened chaos.

apo|plec|tic /æ pəple kt I k/ ADJ If someone is apoplectic , they are extremely angry about something. [FORMAL ] □  It's enough to make them choke with apoplectic rage.

apo|plexy /æ pəpleksi/

1 N‑UNCOUNT Apoplexy is a stroke. [OLD-FASHIONED ]

2 N‑UNCOUNT Apoplexy is extreme anger. [FORMAL ] □  He has already caused apoplexy with his books on class and on war.

apos|ta|sy /əpɒ stəsi/ N‑UNCOUNT If someone is accused of apostasy , they are accused of abandoning their religious faith, political loyalties, or principles. [FORMAL ] □  …a charge of apostasy.

apos|tate /əpɒ ste I t/ (apostates ) N‑COUNT An apostate is someone who has abandoned their religious faith, political loyalties, or principles. [FORMAL ]

apos|tle /əpɒ s ^ə l/ (apostles )

1 N‑COUNT The apostles were the followers of Jesus Christ who went from place to place telling people about him and trying to persuade them to become Christians.

2 N‑COUNT An apostle of a particular philosophy, policy, or cause is someone who strongly believes in it and works hard to promote it. □ [+ of ] Her mother was a dedicated apostle of healthy eating.

Ap|os|tol|ic /æ pɒstɒ l I k/

1 ADJ Apostolic means belonging or relating to a Christian religious leader, especially the Pope. □  The work would be done by an apostolic administrator appointed by Rome.

2 ADJ Apostolic means belonging or relating to the early followers of Christ and to their teaching. □  He saw his vocation as one of prayer and apostolic work.

apos|tro|phe /əpɒ strəfi/ (apostrophes ) N‑COUNT An apostrophe is the mark ' when it is written to indicate that one or more letters have been left out of a word, as in 'isn't' and 'we'll'. It is also added to nouns to form possessives, as in 'Mike's car'.

apoth|ecary /əpɒ θ I kri, [AM ] -keri/ (apothecaries ) N‑COUNT An apothecary was a person who prepared medicines for people. [OLD-FASHIONED ]

apoth|eo|sis /əpɒ θioʊ s I s/

1 N‑SING If something is the apotheosis of something else, it is an ideal or typical example of it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The Oriental in Bangkok is the apotheosis of the grand hotel.

2 N‑SING [with poss] If you describe an event or a time as someone's apotheosis , you mean that it was the high point in their career or their life. [FORMAL ]

app /æ p/ (apps )

1 N‑COUNT An app is a computer program that is written and designed for a specific purpose. [COMPUTING ] □  …a basic picture-editing app.