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 Week
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Nearly every page of Column’s website shows code that can be used with its application programming interface, or API. Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2022 TikTok also recently pledged to offer researchers more transparency about activity on the platform, including access for a select group to its API, or application programming interface. Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022 Both exercise graphics and compute shaders, but one focuses on hardware tessellation and the other on the OpenGL application programming interface (API). Brian Westover, PCMAG, 8 July 2022 InfStones offers an Amazon Web Services-like node management platform and application programming interface (API) for Web3 developers. Fortune, 1 June 2022 If the data and insights need to be delivered synchronously, then APIs (application programming interface) can be leveraged. Prashanth Southekal, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022 Suddenly morning news shows and nighttime comedy hosts were chewing over a convoluted story about a third-party developer who took liberties with data freely acquired through Facebook's application programming interface. Will Evans, Wired, 18 Nov. 2021 Together Vanguard and Infosys are building this new platform from the ground up, with an approach that integrates application programming interface (API) service into the web experience. Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021 StockDrops, a stock-hunting community of 125,000 that organizes primarily on Discord, can peer directly into Best Buy's product database using the retailer's publicly available API, or application programming interface. Brian Fung, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 See More
Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2022 TikTok also recently pledged to offer researchers more transparency about activity on the platform, including access for a select group to its API, or application programming interface. Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022 Both exercise graphics and compute shaders, but one focuses on hardware tessellation and the other on the OpenGL application programming interface (API). Brian Westover, PCMAG, 8 July 2022 InfStones offers an Amazon Web Services-like node management platform and application programming interface (API) for Web3 developers. Fortune, 1 June 2022 If the data and insights need to be delivered synchronously, then APIs (application programming interface) can be leveraged. Prashanth Southekal, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022 Suddenly morning news shows and nighttime comedy hosts were chewing over a convoluted story about a third-party developer who took liberties with data freely acquired through Facebook's application programming interface. Will Evans, Wired, 18 Nov. 2021 Together Vanguard and Infosys are building this new platform from the ground up, with an approach that integrates application programming interface (API) service into the web experience. Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021 StockDrops, a stock-hunting community of 125,000 that organizes primarily on Discord, can peer directly into Best Buy's product database using the retailer's publicly available API, or application programming interface. Brian Fung, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1968, in the meaning defined above