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:
TTP said that new ads have continued to appear even after they made Meta aware of their report's findings.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
After a strong run up for the stock, investors appear to be demanding more than just another earnings beat.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The documents now appear on a public portal operated by the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
In 2025, when Mr. Hewson felt the need to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast, my first reaction was: “Dave Marsh was right.”
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
I try to appear nonchalant as I stroll toward Dad’s couch.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
It appears female runners are no longer just taking part in ultra-endurance events, they are competing with their male counterparts, breaking records and in some cases, winning races outright.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
“If the U.S. administration’s objective is to accelerate naval shipbuilding capacity, Hanwha’s extensive shipbuilding expertise appears an advantage, albeit with the caveat that its defense experience has largely been in Korea rather than U.S.,”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Traffic cones are set back from the crater, which appears to be perilously close to swallowing the house's double garage.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Its narrow, "cheetah-like" build therefore appears to be a vivid case of evolutionary convergence, in which unrelated species independently develop similar features because they face comparable environmental pressures.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
“Madame, it appears that your daughter has been—well, let me just read it aloud: ‘Miss Veronika Ivanovna Babushkinova, congratulations!
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Outside, the sky was clear and the river appeared calm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
It says more than a dozen ads appeared on Meta platforms even after TTP made the company aware of its findings.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The two governments had appeared close to a trade deal just a month ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Bryan Masson, the mayor of the southern town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, said the duo appeared "well equipped and well informed" about the museum housing works by French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 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
The actress previously revealed that she has discussed appearing on the competition series, but noted that filming on the West Coast presents a logistical hurdle because she lives in New York.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The two mayoral candidates, appearing in separate “fireside chats” at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College downtown, cast themselves as strong environmentalists before the crowd of about 200 people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
His team hope this to be a pattern that becomes familiar – that ideas and plans are carefully dripped into the national conversation, taking shape and solidifying over time rather than appearing out of nowhere.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
He conceded that the move would require Congress to change the law barring living persons from appearing on currency.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
One way or another, the stories about her stopped appearing.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
