appearverb
uk/əˈpɪər/us/əˈpɪr/appear verb (BE PRESENT)
B1 [ I ] to start to be seen or to be present:
He suddenly appeared in the doorway.
We'd been in the house a month when dark stains started appearing on the wall.
His name appears in the film credits for lighting.
[ I ] If you appear in court, you are there officially because you are involved in a trial:
Both women will be appearing before magistrates later this week.
More examples
- He will appear before the magistrates tomorrow.
- Comets appear at predictable times.
- Robins mostly appear in the winter and are commonly pictured on Christmas cards.
- Two weeks after we'd planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear.
- His colleagues became suspicious when he did not appear at work, since he was always punctual.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Appearing & disappearing
- act
- bubble up
- come up
- conjure
- creep
- disappear off the face of the earth idiom
- do a disappearing/vanishing act idiom
- emerge
- emergence
- erupt
- evaporate
- face
- form
- manifestation
- melt
- pop
- puff
- pull
- pull sth up
- wither
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Existing and being
Taking legal action
appear verb (SEEM)
B1 [ L or I, not continuous ] to seem:
You've got to appear (to be) calm in an interview even if you're terrified underneath.
To people who don't know him he probably appears (to be) rather unfriendly.
Things aren't always what they appear to be.
[ + to infinitive ] She appears to actually like the man, which I find incredible.
There appears to be some mistake.
[ + (that) ] It appears (that) she left the party alone.
It appears to me (that) (= I think that) we need to make some changes.
formal It would appear (that) (= it seems that) nobody on board the aircraft actually had a licence to fly it.
[ + adv/prep ] It appears as if/as though I was wrong.
Everything was not as it appeared - secret deals had been done.
I know how it must appear, but it's not really as bad as it looks.
"Has he left?" "It appears not/so."
[ after so ] "I think we're late." "So it appears."
More examples
- I hope I didn't appear rude - it's just that I was in such a hurry.
- She likes to appear as if she knows all about the latest films and art exhibitions, but it's all a pose .
- The most important rule in life is always to appear confident.
- Are you as unconcerned about the situation as you appear?
- To a casual observer, everything might appear normal.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Seeming and purporting to be
- apparent
- as if/though idiom
- by the look(s) of things idiom
- come
- come across
- come over
- face
- ostensible
- outward
- paper
- persona
- prima facie
- putative
- so-called
- sound
- superficial
- supposed
- supposedly
- verisimilitude
- you can't judge a book by its cover idiom
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appear verb (PERFORM)
B1 [ I usually + adv/prep ] to perform publicly in a play, film, or show:
She will be appearing in the latest adaptation of "Bleak House".
She appears briefly in the new Bond film.
More examples
- Most of the bands that appear on the show just mime to a recording of their songs.
- She got eight million dollars for appearing in that movie.
- They're appearing twice nightly at the Playhouse Theatre.
- She loves appearing on television and is no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing her views.
- She was appearing in concert at Carnegie Hall.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Cinema & theatre: acting, rehearsing & performing
- act
- act sth out
- amateur theater
- enact
- entrance 1
- go on the stage idiom
- ham
- ham it up
- improvise
- live action
- mime
- offstage
- portray
- prompt
- repertory
- rest
- stage
- stage whisper
- stretch
- variety
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appear verb (BECOME AVAILABLE)
B2 [ I ] to start to exist or become available:
I've noticed that smaller cars are starting to appear (= be produced or sold) again.
The film, currently showing in the States, will be appearing on our screens (= we will be able to see it) later this year.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Available and accessible
- accessible
- at your command idiom
- availability
- available
- be there for sb idiom
- bookable
- come
- come out
- hand
- nothing
- on hand idiom
- on stream idiom
- on/about your person idiom
- open (sth) up
- person
- ready
- ready-made
- release
- vacant
- vacant possession
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appear verb (ARRIVE)
[ I ] to arrive:
If she hasn't appeared by ten o'clock I'm going without her.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Arriving, entering and invading
- annex
- barge
- barge in
- be on the scene idiom
- been
- breaking and entering idiom
- bugger
- go down
- hove
- intrusion
- invade
- keep (sb/sth) out
- land
- let
- let sb/sth in
- loom
- pile
- pitch invasion
- rock
- roll up! idiom
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Phrasal verb(s)
appear for sb