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Glite Dictionary
to apply oneself to

to apply oneself to

41 4.2
To work hard and focus on a task
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : aplicarse a
  • To succeed in her studies, Maria decided to apply herself to her homework every evening.

Examples

  • And he applies himself to his studies.

    Nickel Boys (2024)

  • Non-traditional students make connections to other real-life activities as well and can apply the information immediately to real-life contexts.

    Academic text (2008)

  • If you behave and apply yourself to your duties willingly and to the rules, there may be every chance that Her Majesty or one of her representatives may consider your release and rehabilitation much earlier than you imagine.

    Scum (1979)

  • He struggled at first, but eventually learned to apply himself to the challenging projects assigned at work.

  • With determination, she chose to apply herself to mastering the piano, practicing for hours each day.

Synonyms

to focus on
vsto apply oneself to
∞ 2.0

Give most attention and effort to one person or task

means concentrating but allows a narrower, less complete attention focus
to concentrate
vsto apply oneself to
561 3.4

To give all your attention to one thing

is more about committing effort and attention specifically to tasks
to devote
vsto apply oneself to
465 3.7

Give time, effort and money to a person, project or cause

is more about short-term task-focused effort than long-term commitment
to dedicate
vsto apply oneself to
284 3.7

To give your time and effort completely to a person, activity, or cause

is narrower, focusing on immediate effort and attention rather than full dedication
to concentrate on
vsto apply oneself to
279 3.1

Give your full attention to one activity or subject

is used in similar task situations but phrased slightly more generally
to exert
vsto apply oneself to
33 4.1

Make a strong physical or mental effort

describes similar effort but stresses intensity over sustained attention
to put one's mind to it
vsto apply oneself to
14 3.5

To focus all your attention and effort on achieving something

is a more neutral description of concentrating effort on tasks
to apply oneself
vsto apply oneself to
10 3.9

To work hard and give your full attention to a task

is a slightly more neutral phrasing for the same action

Antonyms

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Focused

to focus on
∞ 2.0
to apply oneself to
41 4.2
to devote
465 3.7
to commit
706 3.4
try
  • Specialized
423 1.0

Surface Forms

apply oneself to infinitive
applied oneself to past
applied oneself to past participle
applying oneself to present participle
applies oneself to third person singular

Morphology

apply + oneself + to

The meaning 'to concentrate effort on a task' is derivable from the parts: 'apply' (put into use), the reflexive 'oneself' (directing the action toward the person), and 'to' (marking the target), so a learner can infer directing one’s effort toward something. However, this requires a metaphorical extension of 'apply' from using a tool/rule to exerting personal effort; that extension is common cross-linguistically but not fully predictable for an uninstructed B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase apply oneself to creates a simple picture: apply means 'put' and to put oneself on a task is like spreading your time and energy onto it. So, when you apply yourself to something you 'focus and work hard' on it.