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:
Even if the companies don’t go public anytime soon, they still appear able to raise money in private markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Iamaleava didn’t appear to be injured on the play, although with a huge lead, backup Madden Iamaleava took over the offense and helped the Bruins coast to the victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
He was reportedly scheduled to appear at more than 20 Life Surge events this year, earning between $50,000 and $100,000 for each appearance.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Within the new files, the MoD says it has identified thousands of potentially relevant documents, including images that appear to have been taken during a number of special forces operations under investigation by the inquiry.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
I snap the book shut and as if on cue, several cuckoos appear from intricately carved wooden clocks, announcing the hour half past.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Not knowing where they stand appears to be a big factor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The list of 106 names, including six men, appears on the investigation website, external asking next of kin to contact the solicitors to the inquests Higgs LLP.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
For now, however, the proposal that could have reopened the strait within a week appears to have met a considerably shorter response from the president: no.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
The text appears to discuss the philosophy of the ancient Greek Stoics.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
But as Ms. Lena sings, lights flicker on, and a new step appears with each word.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
While she expected parenthood to change things - when elements of Clive's personality appeared to shift she spent years frustrated.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Because lead absorbs far more X rays, letters appeared as bright marks against the darker carbonized material, similar to brighter regions on an underexposed black and white negative.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
For many observers however, that prospect appeared distant.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Cootje was white, but it was strange that he appeared to be holding the exact same cane as the Black man in the painting Levine was researching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The morning I received the first call, it was at the end of my shift—I got the call and then I immediately ran home, and Theo appeared shortly after.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Life Surge’s own website shows him appearing at an event in Portland as recently as Sept. 19, less than a week before the investigation was published.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
AI-generated food pictures are appearing on everything from takeout menus to deli displays, but turning heads for all the wrong reasons, Isabella Simonetti writes for the Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The festival next May is being marketed as "one of the world's largest shared singing events", with tenor Bocelli appearing on the Saturday, and up to 20,000 choristers appearing on the Sunday.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The state visit comes at a time when Americans are appearing to warm up to China, according to recent polls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I was just rounding the last corner, my school appearing like a giant brick beast against the gray winter sky, when my phone buzzed.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
