Library / English Dictionary

APPEAR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Come into sight or view

Example:

A new star appeared on the horizon

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "appear"):

crop up; pop; pop up (appear suddenly or unexpectedly)

show; show up (be or become visible or noticeable)

break (emerge from the surface of a body of water)

burst forth; leap out; rush out; sally out (jump out from a hiding place and surprise (someone))

come to mind; spring to mind (be remembered)

roll in (pour or flow in a steady stream)

break through; come out; erupt; push through (break out)

break through; come through (penetrate)

emerge (become known or apparent)

re-emerge; reappear (appear again)

burst out; pop out (appear suddenly)

basset; crop out (appear at the surface)

turn out (come, usually in answer to an invitation or summons)

flash (emit a brief burst of light)

flash (appear briefly)

outcrop (appear on the surface, come to the surface on the ground)

emerge (come out into view, as from concealment)

come on; come out; show up; surface; turn up (appear or become visible; make a showing)

come to hand; come to light (be revealed or disclosed)

wash up (be carried somewhere by water or as if by water)

manifest (reveal its presence or make an appearance)

erupt (appear on the skin)

peep (appear as though from hiding)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

The moon will soon appear

Antonym:

disappear (get lost, as without warning or explanation)

Derivation:

apparent (clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment)

apparition (an act of appearing or becoming visible unexpectedly)

appearance (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

appearance (the event of coming into sight)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come into being or existence, or appear on the scene

Example:

Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago

Synonyms:

appear; come along

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "appear"):

occur (to be found to exist)

fulminate (come on suddenly and intensely)

gleam (appear briefly)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Antonym:

disappear (cease to exist)

Derivation:

apparition (an act of appearing or becoming visible unexpectedly)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be issued or published

Example:

The new Woody Allen film hasn't come out yet

Synonyms:

appear; come out

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "appear" is one way to...):

happen; materialise; materialize (come into being; become reality)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.

Example:

She appeared in 'Hamlet' on the London stage

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "appear" is one way to...):

do; execute; perform (carry out or perform an action)

Domain category:

dramatic art; dramatics; dramaturgy; theater; theatre (the art of writing and producing plays)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

appearance (the act of appearing in public view)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

Example:

They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time

Synonyms:

appear; look; seem

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "appear" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "appear"):

make (appear to begin an activity)

cut (give the appearance or impression of)

feel (produce a certain impression)

pass off (be accepted as something or somebody in a false character or identity)

sound (appear in a certain way)

come across (be perceived in a certain way; make a certain impression)

beam; glow; radiate; shine (have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink)

gleam; glint; glisten; glitter; shine (be shiny, as if wet)

jump; jump out; leap out; stand out; stick out (be highly noticeable)

lift; rear; rise (rise up)

loom (come into view indistinctly, often threateningly)

feel (be felt or perceived in a certain way)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s Adjective
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They appear to move

Derivation:

appearance (a mental representation)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Seem to be true, probable, or apparent

Example:

It appears that the weather in California is very bad

Synonyms:

appear; seem

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "appear" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "appear"):

seem (appear to one's own mind or opinion)

Sentence frame:

It ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

apparent (clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment)

apparent (appearing as such but not necessarily so)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Present oneself formally, as before a (judicial) authority

Example:

She appeared on several charges of theft

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

appearance (formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Because of the things he had done, they looked for him to appear again in the council, but he never came, and they were ashamed to ask.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then he said: Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Several shots were fired, but such was the hurry of the marksmen that not one appears to have taken effect.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The storm, as is often the case in Switzerland, appeared at once in various parts of the heavens.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Next door there appeared to be a children’s party, for the merry buzz of young voices and the clatter of a piano resounded through the night.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“You seem pretty sure of him,” said he; “and for your sake, I hope you may be right. If it came to a trial, your name might appear.”

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

An increase in any epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa appearing as elongated villi or crypts.

(Mucosal Hyperplasia of the Mouse Intestinal Tract, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) appears to play a central role in signaling caused by nutrients and mitogens such as growth factors to regulate translation.

(mTOR Signaling Pathway BioCarta, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

If a wound appears to be infected, see a health care provider.

(MRSA, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Except for some reactivity to skin and gastric and colon mucosa, monoclonal antibody COL-6 does not appear to react with normal tissues.

(Monoclonal Antibody COL-6, NCI Thesaurus)