This paper provides a general discussion of atmospheric-pressure plasma generation, classification, and applications. There are two distinct categories of atmospheric-pressure plasmas: thermal and nonthermal. Thermal atmospheric-pressure plasmas include those produced in high intensity arcs, plasma torches, or in high intensity, high frequency discharges. Although nonthermal plasmas are at room temperatures, they are extremely effective in producing activated species, eg, free radicals and excited state atoms. Thus, both thermal and nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are finding applications in a wide variety of industrial processes, eg waste destruction, material recovery, extractive metallurgy, powder synthesis, and energy conversion. One of the most fascinating applications of atmospheric pressure plasmas is its use for biomedical applications because of its capability of producing various biocidal agents including reactive species, UV radiation, and charged particles.