Definition of APPEAR

appear

Verb

Verb Forms: appeared, appearing, appears

  • To come into sight; become visible or noticeable.
  • give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
    • "This appears to be a very difficult problem"
    • "They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time"
  • come into sight or view
    • "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"
    • "A new star appeared on the horizon"
  • be issued or published
    • "Did your latest book appear yet?"
  • seem to be true, probable, or apparent
    • "It appears that the weather in California is very bad"
  • come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
    • "Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago"
  • appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.
    • "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"
    • "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage"
  • present oneself formally, as before a (judicial) authority
    • "He had to appear in court last month"
    • "She appeared on several charges of theft"
  • To come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible.
  • To come before the public.
  • To stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, etc.; to present oneself as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried.
  • 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.
  • To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.
  • To bring into view.

Examples

  • A great writer appeared at that time.
  • He appeared quite happy with the result.
  • The perfect spot for my bingo didn’t appear until the final turn.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English apperen, aperen, borrowed from Old French aparoir (French apparoir), from Latin appāreō (“I appear”), from ad (“to”) + pāreō (“I come forth, I become visible”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-s- (“watch, see”), s-present of *peh₂- (“protect”).

Synonyms

come along, come out, look, seem, appear, come forth, emerge, forthcome, heave in sight, heave in view, heave into sight, heave into view, materialize, see the light of day

Antonyms

disappear, vanish

Scrabble Score: 10

appear: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
appear: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
appear: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

appear: valid Words With Friends Word