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
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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:
When members get too crazy they have to appear before a standards board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
According to Yang, poxviruses, a group that includes the viruses responsible for smallpox and mpox, appear to have ways of managing this problem.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
They’re not consumed by a desire to appear thankful for the privilege to make money from playing sports.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
The 50-year-old, from Kensington, west London, will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on 18 November.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The evening is soft, patiently waiting for darkness and the stars to appear.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Alias's frustration appears to mount with each attempt.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
"As water temperatures around South Korea have risen, it appears to have moved closer to the country's coast," Kim said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Even so, the public appetite for a government that can hold politicians accountable for illegal acts appears to be growing.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
Seyfried first appears as herself, watching footage that Fielder already captured, including a scene in which he shows Holmes the series.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
It appears that every able-bodied man in the surrounding area has been summoned to the Temple of the Sun.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
The former Doctor Who and Kidulthood star appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Wednesday on two charges of sexual assault, three charges of voyeurism and one charge of exposure.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
And although Hurts started, the team appeared to deviate from its usual style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The resulting disturbances produced spectacular auroras, commonly known as the northern lights, that appeared as far south as Hawaii and Central America.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
An ocean ministry official told AFP that experts had raised concerns about the shark's health because it "had not been seen eating and appeared to have difficulty maintaining its balance while swimming".
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Jessica appeared at the kitchen door, nudging it open with her arm.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
On Wednesday, the Wanted singer Max George told BBC Scotland that appearing in the show's sixth season was "an amazing experience", adding that he'd "love to do it again".
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Security video of the facility, released by police, shows a small flame suddenly appearing in the dark room of the storage facility, eventually growing into a fire and filling the room with smoke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
These results provided experimental evidence that excess fibronectin can directly contribute to blood-brain barrier damage rather than merely appearing alongside it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Her first briefing on Tuesday lasted only 14 minutes as she took questions from just three reporters at Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, appearing flustered and disorganized.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
I wasn’t interested in following the tenets of the political world or appearing on Sunday morning news shows.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
