appear
Americanverb (used without object)
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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
-
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:
The findings should therefore be viewed as preliminary until they appear in a peer-reviewed publication.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
You appear to have “beneficiaried” yourselves out of the need for a trust.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The difference is that the Obamas appear to like each other and, especially in the early years of his presidency, had palpable chemistry that induced romantic fantasies.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Grandparenthood itself doesn’t appear to help you live longer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
As Maggie no longer practiced mediumship, Leah and Kate were invited to appear before the Courier committee, all expenses paid.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Water therefore appears to act mainly as a trigger that helps mantle rock melt more extensively.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
In one photo, there appears to be an angle-grinder or similar power tool lying on a log behind them.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
"The catastrophe occupies almost the entire image and yet somehow appears relegated to the background," the French daily said, adding the photo painted an uncomfortable portrait of a generation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
“However, there must have been people who returned to the building for some reason, and it appears they were caught in the explosion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
They can sense a storm long before it appears, and the poison tide was like an underwater storm, sweeping through the sea.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Miami homes appeared to be the most attractive to international buyers, as measured by international online views in the first quarter of the year, according to Realtor.com.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Putting on a towel, Leto went outside and appeared to check who was around, she says, before letting her out of the room.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He said the couple appeared to be watching the unfolding disaster as if it were a movie, from the comfort of their living room.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
“There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work,” the author wrote in what appeared to be screenshots of a group chat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Just then, a man appeared at a door down the street.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The initial search focused on video footage that showed a masked person wearing gloves and a backpack appearing to tamper with a camera at her front door the morning she disappeared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the same time, profits across a sample of 110 for-profit utilities rose from just under $39 billion in 2021 to more than $52 billion in 2024 — a statistic already appearing in campaign speeches.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Marvel announced the Black Panther three-quel with Jonsson appearing in front of thousands of fans at Comic-Con's famous Hall H.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
For Ferguson, moments like those reflect a wider shift in modern dating, with some men appearing increasingly hesitant to take the lead.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
I was just rounding the last corner, my school appearing like a giant brick beast against the gray winter sky, when my phone buzzed.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
