ENGLISH
REFERENCE

apply to sb/sth

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to be relevant to a person or a situation. you use this when a rule or a piece of information is about you or your case.

phr. v.. to be relevant, pertinent, or applicable to a specific person, group, or set of circumstances. this is an intransitive phrasal verb followed by a prepositional object.


SIMPLE

These rules apply to everyone in the office.

CONTEXTUAL

The discount only applies to students who can show a valid university ID card.

COMPLEX

The new environmental regulations apply to all manufacturing firms operating within the European Union, regardless of their country of origin.

Particles
to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
apply + to + object
Usage

commonly used with rules, laws, conditions, or general statements.

Teaching tip

contrast with the transitive 'apply' (to put on or use) and 'apply for' (to request a job or position); this sense focuses on relevance and scope.

Pitfall

The law applies for everyone.The law applies to everyone.the preposition 'to' is required to indicate the target of the relevance; 'apply for' is used for requests.

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