appear

ap·pear

Use appear in a sentence

verb

To appear is to seem or look a certain way.
An example of someone that may appear to be smart is a college professor.
To appear is defined as to be a part of a production.
An example of someone who may appear is a Broadway actor.
The definition of appear is to show up or become capable of being seen.
An example of something that may appear is a rabbit out of a magician's hat.

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MLA Style

"appear." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR>.

APA Style

appear. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR

appear

to come into sight
to come into being: freckles appear on his face every summer
to become understood or apparent: it appears he's right
to seem; look: to appear to be in good health
to present oneself formally, as in court
to come before the public: he will appear in Hamlet
to be published: the magazine appears monthly

Origin of appear

Middle English aperen from Old French aparoir from Classical Latin apparere from ad-, to + perere, to come forth, be visible; akin to Classical Greek peparein, to display

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MLA Style

"appear." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR>.

APA Style

appear. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR

appear

intransitive verb

ap·peared, ap·pear·ing, ap·pears

a. To become visible: a plane appearing in the sky.
b. To be shown or included: That logo appears on all their sports equipment.
To come into existence: New strains of viruses appear periodically.
To give the impression of being in a certain way; seem: The child appeared unhappy.
To be likely or evident: It appears that they will be late.
To come or perform before the public: has appeared in two plays.
Law To present oneself formally before a court as defendant, plaintiff, or counsel.
To be published or made available to the public: The novel first appeared in installments in a magazine.

Origin of appear

Middle English aperen from Old French aparoir aper- from Latin appārēre ad- ad- pārēre to show

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"appear." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR>.

APA Style

appear. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR

appear

appear emerge issue loom ¹materialize show

These verbs mean to come into view: a ship appearing on the horizon; a star that emerged from behind a cloud; a diver issuing from the water; a peak that loomed through the mist; a job offer that materialized overnight; a shirtsleeve showing at the edge of the jacket.

See Also Synonyms at seem.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"appear." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR>.

APA Style

appear. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/APPEAR

Verb

(third-person singular simple present appears, present participle appearing, simple past and past participle appeared)

(intransitive) To come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible.
(intransitive) To come before the public.
A great writer appeared at that time.
(intransitive) To stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, or the like; to present one's self as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried.
(intransitive) To become visible to the apprehension of the mind; to be known as a subject of observation or comprehension, or as a thing proved; to be obvious or manifest.
(intransitive, copulative) To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.
He appeared quite happy with the result.

Usage notes

Senses 4, 5. This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive.

Related terms

Origin

From Middle English apperen, aperen, from Old French aparoir (French apparoir, apparaître), from Latin apparēre (“to appear”), from ad (“to”) + parēre (“come forth, to be visible”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.