emerge
Americanverb (used without object)
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emerges,
present (3rd person singular)
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emerged,
past participle, past
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emerging
present participle
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to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity.
a ghost emerging from the grave;
a ship emerging from the fog.
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to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid.
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to come up or arise, as a question or difficulty.
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to come into existence; develop.
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to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.
verb
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to come up to the surface of or rise from water or other liquid
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to come into view, as from concealment or obscurity
he emerged from the cave
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(foll by from) to come out (of) or live (through a difficult experience)
he emerged from his ordeal with dignity
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to become apparent
several interesting things emerged from the report
Usage
What are other ways to say emerge? To emerge is to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity. How is emerge different from emanate and issue? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emergesimple
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emergessimple
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have emergedperfect
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has emergedperfect
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am emergingprogressive
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are emergingprogressive
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is emergingprogressive
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have been emergingperfect progressive
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has been emergingperfect progressive
Past
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emergedsimple
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had emergedperfect
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was emergingprogressive
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were emergingprogressive
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had been emergingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emerge
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin ēmergere “to arise out of,” equivalent to ē- e- 1 + mergere “to dive, sink”
Explanation
To emerge means to come out into view or come forth. You might hope to emerge from an epic perming session looking like a beauty queen, but chances are it will just look like you got electrocuted. From the Latin emergere, meaning to “rise out or up, bring forth, bring to light,” emerge is an intransitive verb that might bring to mind the image of a whale rising up from the depths of the sea, or of a person popping out from a dark corner to spook you. Appear and peep are synonyms, while dip and sink are antonyms.
Vocabulary lists containing emerge
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List 1
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The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
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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:
If sustained, the boost from AI could help the U.K. economy emerge from a long period of sluggish growth, and make it easier for the government to reduce its large debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Coconut crabs, also known as Robber crabs, emerge at night to hunt for small mammals and seabirds, and will force the search crew to spend nights on their ship for their own safety.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
He suggested an intriguing analogy with biological evolution, in which different useful characteristics can emerge through separate processes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The first costumes were made by dressmakers and couturiers, but a network of costume professionals would emerge, designers who realized that clothing in film had to be fascinating, energized—stories within the story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
He looked behind him—and saw the undergrowth part, and a man’s shadow emerge from the woods.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The distinction could help researchers better understand how consciousness emerges.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
As the "wicker husband", he emerges as a strapping, dashing life-size piece of furniture.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
El Niño typically emerges every two to seven years, and the warming of ocean waters is coupled with changing conditions in the atmosphere, sparking changes in weather across the globe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
This one, set 14 years before the events of the first game, follows young veterans who are snapped out of civilian life when a subterranean menace emerges and attacks humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Right before Tenth Street emerges onto the cacophony of the West Side Highway, I stop to get a latte, wrapping my cool hands around the cup for warmth.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
The background to Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest in February has emerged in legal documents, when police asked a judge for warrants to raid the former prince's homes.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The breakthrough emerged from years of studying unusual events in which supermassive black holes tear stars apart.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Guitarrica’s fortuitous relationship with music emerged from the time he spent during his formative years in his grandparents’ Spanish village of less than 100 people, Las Cuevas de Cañart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Within this cohort, grandparents have emerged as a distinct group of home buyers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Once I’d slipped into my boots and emerged from the bedroom, I had to bite my lip to keep from singing over the sheer joy of it all.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
The U.S. is emerging as a rare bright spot for luxury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Fans of “The Good Wife” or “The Good Fight” are familiar with how the Kings turned emerging tech issues — particularly ones involving Google, Amazon or Facebook — into narrative catalysts for cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
But research emerging from around the world has been sketching a different picture.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
It has a significant impact on investment decisions through its flagship emerging markets index, which contains 1,200 companies with a market capitalisation more than $10 trillion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But it is wonderful to see the butterfly or moth emerging and watch its crumpled wings become flat and strong.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
