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Synonyms

appear

American  
[uh-peer] / əˈpɪər /

verb (used without object)

  1. to come into sight; become visible.

    A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.

    Synonyms:
    arise, emerge
  2. to have the appearance of being; seem; look.

    to appear wise.

  3. to be obvious or easily perceived; be clear or made clear by evidence.

    It appears to me that you are right.

  4. to come or be placed before the public; be published.

    Her biography appeared last year.

  5. to perform publicly, as in a play, dance, etc..

    He appeared as the king in the play.

  6. to attend or be present, especially to arrive late or stay but a short time.

    He appeared at the party but left quickly.

  7. to come into being; be created, invented, or developed.

    Speech appears in the child's first or second year.

  8. Law. to come formally, especially as a party or counsel, to a proceeding before a tribunal, authority, etc.


appear British  
/ əˈpɪə /

verb

  1. to come into sight or view

  2. (copula; may take an infinitive) to seem or look

    the evidence appears to support you

  3. to be plain or clear, as after further evidence, etc

    it appears you were correct after all

  4. to develop or come into being; occur

    faults appeared during testing

  5. to become publicly available; be published

    his biography appeared last month

  6. to perform or act

    he has appeared in many London productions

  7. to be present in court before a magistrate or judge

    he appeared on two charges of theft

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See seem.

Other Word Forms

  • reappear verb (used without object)
  • well-appearing adjective

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”

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.

Inflation is expected to remain elevated in the near term, while any improvement in the labor market appears to be months away.

From MarketWatch

Inflation is expected to remain elevated in the near term, while any improvement in the labor market appears to be months away.

From MarketWatch

The study appears as a cover feature in the international journal Science.

From Science Daily

The problem appears when that Mars clock is compared with one on Earth.

From Science Daily

So the midsize and smaller regional banks, as a group, still appear to be bargain-priced, based on historical P/E valuations relative to the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch