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 answers, whenever they come, would appear to shape Tuchel's thinking and Alexander-Arnold's England career, but he deserves the opportunity to provide them.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
"As I appear before you today, it is my belief that the rule of law faces challenges unlike any we have experienced in our lifetime," Smith said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Still, investors appear to be taking the prospect of AI disruption seriously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The California cities where In-N-Out plans to open appear to be in areas with “high-propensity guests” that the company has not yet reached, Salera said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Like magic, Caesar and his horse appear, moving against a backdrop of mountains and a sky radiating with yellow, orange, and red streaks.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
It appears the all-British heavyweight contest - more than a decade in the making - remains on for 11 December at Cardiff's Principality Stadium following several days of uncertainty.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Bilt Palladium, $495 annual fee: I was already considering the Bilt card before talking to Kelly because it appears to fit how I currently spend.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
“The labor market appears to be well positioned to handle an increase in rates,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The department sent a statement in response that appears to refer to the nine-time Pro Bowl selection’s nickname Weapon X.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The gate squeaks open, and Celia appears with her lunch bag.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
A difficult job market appeared to show improvement near the end of summer with a surprisingly big increase in employment, but don’t be fooled: Hiring in the U.S. is still unusually tepid.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The toilet was smashed and appeared to be full of human waste.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Investors appeared share that skepticism: Target’s stock finished around 1.3% lower on Tuesday, at $156.43 a share.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Mr. Blake contributes his “Clues,” which originally appeared on the drummer’s 2012 recording “The Eleventh Hour,” and the trio takes a groove-heavy approach balanced by Ms. Davis’s reference to Morton Feldman’s “Nature Piece 5.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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
Counter-terror police are leading the investigation after authorities were tipped off just after midnight on Sunday about three "suspicious" white vans appearing to head towards the air base in Gloucestershire, southwest England.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
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
Mosley missed the Rutgers game after appearing to favor his right knee after a third-quarter touchdown the week prior against Louisiana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
The building is as grey as the pavement below and the sky above, appearing as impermanent as the clouds, as though it could vanish into the air without notice.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
