appear
verb (used without object)
to come into sight; become visible.
had been appearing
-
past perfect progressiveof appear.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
The messages had been appearing sporadically since October 2024, with the last one seen on May 14 of this year, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Gareth Richards had been appearing at the Fringe since 2010 and was due to perform another show this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2023
It all made for “great television,” little of which had been appearing at that time on ABC.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2015
Both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had been appearing in films throughout the 1920s, occasionally together, but had only been officially paired together since that June.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2015
Then there was Myrna, who had been appearing to him in a series of dreams that was taking the form of the old Batman serials that he had seen at the Prytania as a child.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
