emerge
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity.
a ghost emerging from the grave;
a ship emerging from the fog.
-
to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid.
-
to come up or arise, as a question or difficulty.
-
to come into existence; develop.
-
to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.
verb
-
to come up to the surface of or rise from water or other liquid
-
to come into view, as from concealment or obscurity
he emerged from the cave
-
(foll by from) to come out (of) or live (through a difficult experience)
he emerged from his ordeal with dignity
-
to become apparent
several interesting things emerged from the report
Usage
What are other ways to say emerge? To emerge is to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity. How is emerge different from emanate and issue? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
emergesimple
-
emergessimple
-
have emergedperfect
-
has emergedperfect
-
am emergingprogressive
-
are emergingprogressive
-
is emergingprogressive
-
have been emergingperfect progressive
-
has been emergingperfect progressive
Past
-
emergedsimple
-
had emergedperfect
-
was emergingprogressive
-
were emergingprogressive
-
had been emergingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emerge
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin ēmergere “to arise out of,” equivalent to ē- e- 1 + mergere “to dive, sink”
Explanation
To emerge means to come out into view or come forth. You might hope to emerge from an epic perming session looking like a beauty queen, but chances are it will just look like you got electrocuted. From the Latin emergere, meaning to “rise out or up, bring forth, bring to light,” emerge is an intransitive verb that might bring to mind the image of a whale rising up from the depths of the sea, or of a person popping out from a dark corner to spook you. Appear and peep are synonyms, while dip and sink are antonyms.
Vocabulary lists containing emerge
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 newest version of Atlas didn’t emerge in public until January at a tech trade show in Las Vegas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Symbols that the pioneering assemblage artist has been “remixing” for more than seven decades — stars, moons, eyes, hands — emerge in vibrant washes of magenta, teal and her favored crepuscular blues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Because these processes can emerge earlier or be more pronounced in people with HIV, this community can help us identify interventions that may improve healthspan more broadly."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
"What we might see instead is a kind of opportunity to show that the process is still in place... that there are negotiations continuing despite the opposition and the obstacles that are beginning to emerge."
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ekon ducked out of his brother’s reach as they both watched a large silhouette emerge from the darkness directly across the campsite from them.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Yet if you start to break down the Premier League contingent by position, a trend emerges.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Yet, when we look closer, a rather different picture emerges.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
When it’s almost time for the plant to open, the spadix — a conic protrusion from inside the plant — emerges and accelerates in growth, climbing up to six inches per day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The primary portrait of Adrian that emerges in “Remake” is that of a moody young man, his attitude toward his father flitting between mild tolerance and barely veiled resentment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
When she emerges again, she takes a deep breath.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Weight loss, long a graveyard for drug-company ambitions, has emerged as one of the industry’s biggest and fastest-growing segments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
When he emerged from the dressing room that night, he even questioned why his friend and agent, Hayden Evans, had come down from the stands to check on him.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
But as the entertainment-industry giant prepares to report second-quarter results on Thursday, fresh debate has emerged over whether investors — and viewers — still see it that way.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Albanese's announcement comes after it emerged this week that US startup Anthropic has lobbied Australian officials to change copyright laws to assist the training of AI models.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
He snatched it, quickly shoving the surprisingly heavy pouch into his pocket and nudging her bag back into place just as she emerged from the bathroom.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
And as the artificial-intelligence industry grows, a new wave of agentic AI investing platforms is emerging that automates active, autonomous trading decisions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
They are also important to semiconductor manufacturing, artificial-intelligence infrastructure, aerospace systems, electric vehicles, satellites, fiber optics, advanced sensors and emerging energy technologies—the tools by which free societies defend themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Visitors may have noticed that Odorysseus’ spadix — the conic protrusion emerging upward from the plant — was much taller than Odora’s, which had caved in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ex-England batter Jonathan Trott has international experience with Afghanistan and Glamorgan coach Richard Dawson is seen as an emerging homegrown contender.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Get out your pencil,” Lazlo told Calixte, emerging from his tent.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
