appear
[verb]
Synonyms:
- come into view, be present, come out, come to light, crop up (informal), emerge, occur, show up (informal), surface, turn up
- look (like or as if), occur, seem, strike one as

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Antonyms: disappear, vanish
Contrasted words: go, leave, depart, retire, withdraw
Related Idioms: come in sight, come into view, meet (or strike) the eye, show one's face, give an appearance of, strike one as
Related Words: arrive, come, arise, emanate, issue, materialize, outcrop, rise, spring

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English Thesaurus: appear, pop up, become visible, come into view, come out, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ap‧pear S2 W1 /əˈpɪə $ əˈpɪr/ verb
[Word Family: verb: appear ≠ disappear, reappear; noun: appearance ≠ disappearance, reappearance]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: aparoir, from Latin apparere, from ad- 'to' + parere 'to show yourself']

1. SEEM [linking verb, not in progressive] used to say how something seems, especially from what you know about it or from what you can see
appear to be something
Police say there appear to be signs of a break-in.
appear to do something
The survey appears to contradict motor industry claims.
it appears (that)
It appears that all the files have been deleted.
Police have found what appear to be human remains.
He tried to make it appear that she had committed suicide.
It may be less useful than it appears at first.
so it would appear (=used to say that something seems likely to be true, although you are not completely sure)

2. GIVE IMPRESSION [linking verb, not in progressive] used to say that someone or something seems to have a particular quality or feeling:
He tried hard to appear calm.
I don’t want to appear rude.
The right colours can make a small room appear much bigger.

3. START TO BE SEEN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to start to be seen, to arrive, or to exist in a place, especially suddenly:
Two faces appeared at our window.
A man suddenly appeared from behind a tree.
Small cracks appeared in the wall.
It was nearly an hour before Sweeney appeared in the pub.
appear from nowhere/out of nowhere (=appear suddenly and unexpectedly)
The car seemed to appear from nowhere.

4. FILM/TV PROGRAMME ETC [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to take part in a film, play, concert, television programme etc
appear in a film/play
She has already appeared in a number of films.
appear on television/stage
He appeared on national television to deny the claims.
appear at a theatre etc

5. BOOK/NEWSPAPER ETC [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to be written or shown on a list, in a book or newspaper, in a document etc:
The story appeared in all the national newspapers.
Some of the material used has appeared in print before (=has been published).

6. AVAILABLE/KNOWN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to become widely available or known about:
The new range will be appearing in shops in the autumn.
New courses are appearing every year.

7. LAW COURT/MEETING [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to go to a law court or other official meeting to give information, answer questions etc:
The three men are due to appear in court tomorrow.
appear before a court/judge/committee etc
She appeared before Colchester magistrates charged with attempted murder.
appear for somebody/on behalf of somebody (=to be the legal representative for someone)
Sir Nicholas Gammon QC appeared on behalf of the defendant.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

appear
verb
I. come into sight
ADV. suddenly A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.
from nowhere A police officer appeared as if from nowhere and ordered us to halt.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

appear
II. perform in public
ADV. currently
PREP. at She is currently appearing at the Liverpool Playhouse.
PHRASES appear on television She regularly appears on television.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

appear
III. in court
PREP. at He will appear at Manchester Crown Court next week.
PHRASES appear before a court/judge/magistrate The man will appear before magistrates in Birmingham later today.
appear in court A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of seven women.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

appear
verb
1.
BAD: Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning appeared.
GOOD: Suddenly, there was a bright flash of lightning.
BAD: We don't want any more wars to appear.
GOOD: We don't want there to be any more wars.

Usage Note:
A simple way of saying that something happens or develops is to use there + be : 'Suddenly, there was a loud bang and all the lights went out.' 'There have been several serious accidents along this stretch of the road.' 'This time I don't want there to be any mistakes.'

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2.
BAD: Unemployment appears in nearly all developed countries.
GOOD: Unemployment occurs in nearly all developed countries.
BAD: Unfortunately, another problem has appeared.
GOOD: Unfortunately, another problem has occurred.

Usage Note:
appear = (1) become visible or (suddenly) be seen: 'Small red patches appeared all over the child's back.' 'A minute later the manager appeared and asked what was wrong.'(2) (of something new) become available or be seen for the first time: 'The first edition appeared in 1987.' 'The new model will not appear in the shops until the end of the year.' 'When did dinosaurs first appear?'
occur = (1) (of unplanned events) happen: 'The crash occurred just minutes after take-off.' 'These storms usually occur in the late afternoon.' (2) exist or be found (in a particular place): 'The Japanese 'f' sound does not occur in European languages.'

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3.
BAD: If he were alive, he would appear a lot of good films.
GOOD: If he were alive, he would appear in a lot of good films.
BAD: Recently she has appeared on several TV commercials.
GOOD: Recently she has appeared in several TV commercials.

Usage Note:
appear on television, a television channel: 'This is the first time that Britt has appeared on television.' 'He is scheduled to appear on Channel 4 next month.'
appear on/in a television programme: 'He's always appearing on/in BBC sports programmes.' 'We asked the Home Office to appear on/in this programme, but they refused.'
appear in a film, play, show, television commercial: 'What's the name of that young actor who appeared in Jurassic Park?' 'Before that she had appeared in a Broadway production of West Side Story.'

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4.
BAD: There appears a haphazard attitude among the younger generation.
GOOD: There appears to be a haphazard attitude among the younger generation.

Usage Note:
there appears/appeared + to be + noun phrase (= seem): 'There appears to be a shortage of paper.' 'There appears to have been a breakdown in communication.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

appear to start to be seen, especially suddenly:
A few small white clouds appeared on the horizon.
pop up to appear very suddenly:
A woman’s face popped up from the other side of the fence.
become visible to gradually start to be able to be seen:
The shape of the baby’s head gradually became visible on the screen.
come into view if something comes into view, you start to see it as you move closer to it, or it gets closer to you:
The white cliffs of Dover came into view.
come out if the sun, moon, or the stars come out, they suddenly appear:
The sun came out from behind a cloud.
loom/loom up if a large frightening object or person looms, they appear suddenly:
The dark shape of the castle loomed up out of the mist.
The man’s face suddenly loomed over him.
resurface to appear again after being lost or missing:
The girl’s father has resurfaced after six years of no contact.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

squeak a very short high sound or cry:
I heard the squeak of his shoes on the tiled floor.
Annie gave a squeak of surprise.
creak a long high sound that something makes when someone opens it, walks on it, sits on it etc - used especially about a door, wooden floor, bed, or stairs:
the creak of floorboards
The door opened with a creak.
screech a loud, long, unpleasantly high sound - used especially about someone’s voice, or about brakes, tyres etc:
There was a screech of tyres followed by a bang.
She let out a screech of horror.
beep (also bleep British English) a high electronic sound that a machine sends out, especially in order to attract someone’s attention:
You’ll hear a bleep when the photocopier’s finished printing.
hum a quiet low continuous sound, especially from electrical equipment, traffic, an engine, or people’s conversation:
The only sound was the faint hum of the air-conditioning unit.
He could hear the hum of distant traffic.
rustle a continuous quiet sound from papers, leaves, or clothes when they rub together:
She heard the rustle of dried leaves behind her.
the rustle of silk dresses
murmur a quiet low continuous sound, especially from people’s voices that are far away:
The murmur of voices died away.
They spoke in a low murmur.
rumble a series of long low sounds, especially from big guns, traffic, or thunder:
I heard a rumble of thunder.
the low rumble of a train approaching
splash the sound that a liquid makes when something hits it, or when it hits against another thing:
She jumped into the pool with a big splash.
the splash of the waves against the rocks
gurgle the low sound that water makes when it flows gently over or through something:
the gurgle of a stream
She listened to the gurgle as the water drained out of the bath.
plop the sudden short sound when something is dropped into a liquid:
Kate dropped the ice into her glass with a plop.
hiss a continuous high sound when air or gas comes out of something:
There was a hiss of steam from the coffee machine.
Workers reported hearing a loud hiss moments before the explosion.
bang a short sudden loud noise made by a gun, bomb etc:
There was a loud bang as the bomb exploded.
The firework went off with a bang.
boom a very loud sound from an explosion, which you can hear for several seconds after it begins:
The building exploded into rubble with a loud boom.
The boom of artillery fire echoed in the distance.
roar a continuous very loud noise that gets louder and continues for a long time:
The light was followed by the deafening roar of explosions.
the roar of the ship’s guns
crash a very loud sound caused when something hits something else, especially when damage is caused:
The tray of dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
I heard an enormous crash outside our house, and I went to see what had happened.
thud a quiet low sound made when a heavy object falls down onto surface:
There was a dull thud as the box hit the floor.
His head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
thump a dull loud sound made when a heavy object hits something else:
There was a loud thump as Eddie threw Luther back against the wall.
clink a short ringing sound made when two glass, metal, or china objects hit each other:
the clink of champagne glasses
The clink of cutlery could be heard in the restaurant.
tinkle the pleasant sound that is made by light pieces of glass or metal hitting each other repeatedly:
He listened to the faint tinkle of cow bells in the distance.
jingle the sound of small metal objects being shaken together:
the jingle of her bracelets
the jingle of keys
rattle a short repeated sound made when things hit against each other - used especially when part of something is loose and is hitting against something:
There was a strange rattle coming from the engine.
the rattle of the trolley
appear a more formal word for ‘seem’:
These reports appear to be unfounded.
look to seem to be something, often because of what can be seen:
The future looks bleak.
He looked pleased.
sound used to say that something or someone seems to be something because of what you have heard or read about them, or because of the noise or voice that you hear:
This study sounds very ambitious.
They heard what sounded like a blow.
come across as something to seem to have particular qualities:
He comes across as a very sensitive man.
sound advice
He gave us some sound advice.
sound judgement
He was beginning to rely on her sound judgement.
a sound reason
Both these buyers have sound reasons for their choice.
a sound investment
Property is usually a sound investment.
a sound policy
The problems of industry will only be solved by sound economic policies.
a sound basis
Sometimes friendship is a sound basis for a good marriage.
environmentally/ecologically sound
The government encourages environmentally sound management of the countryside.
ideologically sound (=good, according to a set of beliefs)
It was the ideologically sound thing to do.
scientifically/technically sound
Are these studies scientifically sound?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

appear
əˈpɪə
See: speak of the devil and he appears

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲