appear
Americanverb (used without object)
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appears,
present (3rd person singular)
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appeared,
past participle, past
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appearing
present participle
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to come into sight; become visible.
A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.
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to have the appearance of being; seem; look.
to appear wise.
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to be obvious or easily perceived; be clear or made clear by evidence.
It appears to me that you are right.
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to come or be placed before the public; be published.
Her biography appeared last year.
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to perform publicly, as in a play, dance, etc..
He appeared as the king in the play.
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to attend or be present, especially to arrive late or stay but a short time.
He appeared at the party but left quickly.
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to come into being; be created, invented, or developed.
Speech appears in the child's first or second year.
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Law. to come formally, especially as a party or counsel, to a proceeding before a tribunal, authority, etc.
verb
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to come into sight or view
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(copula; may take an infinitive) to seem or look
the evidence appears to support you
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to be plain or clear, as after further evidence, etc
it appears you were correct after all
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to develop or come into being; occur
faults appeared during testing
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to become publicly available; be published
his biography appeared last month
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to perform or act
he has appeared in many London productions
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to be present in court before a magistrate or judge
he appeared on two charges of theft
Synonym Usage
See seem.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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appearsimple
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appearssimple
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have appearedperfect
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has appearedperfect
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am appearingprogressive
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are appearingprogressive
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is appearingprogressive
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have been appearingperfect progressive
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has been appearingperfect progressive
Past
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appearedsimple
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had appearedperfect
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was appearingprogressive
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were appearingprogressive
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had been appearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appear
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ap(p)eren, from Anglo-French, Old French aper-, tonic stem of apare(i)r, apparoir, from Latin appārēre “to be seen, appear,” equivalent to ap- ap- 1 ( def. ) + pārēre “to be visible”
Explanation
If something appears, it comes into view. Rub a magic lamp and a genie will appear. If that's the case, she will grant you three wishes. Appear comes from the Latin apparere meaning "to appear, come in sight, make an appearance." Whether literally materializing or seeming to be true, the word appear is used to describe something coming into sight or presenting itself. The word can also be used to describe an actor appearing in a play. Julie Andrews appeared in the musical "Victor Victoria." When someone looks happy, he appears to be happy. When a detail seems true, it appears to be true.
Vocabulary lists containing appear
Workshop 1, Part 1
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Ceremony
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The students, at least, appear to have learned one useful lesson from them: Always check the source — even when the adults hand it to you.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It does not appear to represent a universal biological rule.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
It rolls on meager-looking 17-inch steel wheels that appear to have been rattle-canned with silver paint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
In the case of public toilets, such a justification "does not appear to exist" since the cost of building, maintaining and cleaning cubicles and urinals is basically the same, the professor said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
One day Kenji didn’t appear on the porch.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
Investors must learn to live with uncertainty about any supplies from the Gulf even if an agreement on the strait eventually appears, Christopher Smart writes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Palace of Versailles, south of the French capital Paris, appears as an island of trees surrounded by brown fields in these images.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Over the past 15 years, the Hindenburg Omen’s effectiveness appears to have diminished, data showed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Lincoln’s extended deployment, already about three months longer than the typical carrier mission, appears to have tanked sailors’ morale.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Davy Wagner is a common name, and this Davy appears to have served in the Civil War, not the Great War.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
During his 50-year Hollywood career, he appeared alongside his brother David in a 1972 episode of “Kung Fu” and the 1973 Martin Scorsese film “Mean Streets.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The bizarre geography lesson appeared in student agendas distributed at Farnsley Middle School, part of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Cracks have appeared, elements such as ledges, rubble and walls have fallen and damage has been reported in some buildings," Andalusian emergency services said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The idea became highly influential in evolutionary biology and eventually appeared widely in biology textbooks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Mr Van de Berg had appeared at the door and was beckoning us into the photo parlour.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Remember, one of the acronyms for fear is “future experiences appearing real.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Reynolds first auditioned for “Ted Lasso” in the spring of 2025 while appearing in a production of “The Seagull” at the Barbican in London.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Jones also defended her "old school choices" while appearing on Kay's programme Tracks of My Years, which included Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and Glenn Medeiros' Nothing's Going to Change My Love for You.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
It also avoids witnesses appearing publicly and testifying about the bloody circumstances and history of Nick Reiner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The shadow appearing noiselessly beside him was Medwyn.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
