Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

appear

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [intransitive] [not usually progressive] British English pronunciation: appear /əˈpɪə(r)/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyappear
he/she/itappears
present participleappearing
past tenseappeared
past participleappeared
Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

 
  1. 1
    to make other people think that you are something or feel something. Appear is a slightly more formal word than seem

    This job is not as easy as it may appear.

    Matt appears unaffected by all the media attention.

    appear to do something:

    No one appeared to notice me.

    it appears (that):

    It appears that she's changed her mind.

    there appears to be:

    There appears to be very little we can do about the problem.

    appear to have done something:

    The building appears to have been used as a place of worship.

    what appears to be:

    Gibbs was shot in what appears to be a gangland killing.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
  2. 2
    if someone or something appears somewhere, you begin to see them suddenly or for the first time

    Cracks began to appear in the ceiling.

    One day a stranger appeared on my doorstep.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
    1. a.
      to arrive somewhere

      As soon as she appears, we can get started.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
  3. 3
    to be on television or in a play, film, concert etc

    She appeared on television with the President.

    Tony is currently appearing in pantomime at Reading.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
  4. 4
    to go to a court of law, committee, or similar institution, so that people can ask you questions and make decisions about what you say

    He is due to appear in court today.

    appear before/in front of:

    Mr Smith will appear before magistrates next month.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
  5. 5
    if something new or different appears, it starts to exist or to be known about for the first time

    Yet another boy band has appeared on the music scene.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear
    1. a.
      to become available for the first time

      This was when sushi began to appear on restaurant menus in London.

      the latest personal computer to appear on the market

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of appear

This is the British English definition of appear. View American English definition of appear.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

picture messaging

the sending of images and photographs from one mobile phone to another

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog