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:
“I had to appear as though I owned it — and I kind of did.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He concentrated on voice acting and continued to appear at film conventions.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Espinoza was fired last week after Congress voted to oust him for failing to appear before lawmakers for questions about his handling of the economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The top four candidates in the Senate race, eligible to appear on the fall ballot, include two Dan Sullivans, meaning control of Congress could turn on voter confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
I pat the hat gently, wait for a memory to appear.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
However, the company’s top-line growth momentum appears to be slowing, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Punter Ethan Evans appears ready for a standout performance in a contract year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ratcliffe appears to be one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia during President Donald Trump's second term.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
On the one hand, Darkness’ giant black horns, glowing eyes and claws declare his absolute malice from the moment he appears onscreen, mournfully slumped on a throne.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
A few minutes later, a man appears on the front porch and makes his way toward us.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
They appeared poised to order the ballots returned and to sharply limit the sheriff’s power to snatch election materials in the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Footage of the 31-year-old in handcuffs and surrounded by police officers appeared on social media on Sunday.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Even the National Trust appeared to nod to this construction reality, complaining in its own brief to the court that the administration was “trying to outrun judicial review” by speeding construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
He appeared to have mended relations with his cancer-battling father, King Charles III during recent visits to the UK, but Harry reportedly remains estranged from his heir-to-the-throne brother Prince William and wife Catherine.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
I was checking the graze on my elbow when a fluffy nose appeared and nuzzled against my leg.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The next night, “Gustavo’s Fiesta” involved an array of Latin musicians, with Dudamel and the orchestra appearing after intermission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Think of it as the culinary equivalent of shopping your pantry: What two, three or four ingredients keep appearing together in your cooking?
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Barrister Arizuna Asante said Djoudi walked past the complainant as he smoked outside the restaurant shortly after 22:15 GMT, before later appearing with Eldahouzze and El Habchi.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He never finished because he was called up to the bigs—and wound up appearing in 598 games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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.
