Appear

/əˈpɪr/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to present oneself in a formal setting.

She will appear before the committee next week.

to become visible or noticeable; to be seen.

The sun began to appear over the horizon.

to seem or give the impression of being something.

He appears to be quite confident in his abilities.

to come into being; to arise.

New opportunities appear whenever you take risks.

Middle English 'apparen', from Old French 'aparir', from Latin 'apparere' meaning 'to come forth'.

appear on the scene:

to arrive at a particular location or event, especially unexpectedly.

appear to be:

to seem or give the impression of being in a certain way.

make an appearance:

to attend or show up at an event, often briefly.

to show up unexpectedly

He just decided to appear at the party without an invitation.

to make oneself known or present

After going quiet for a while, she finally appeared and joined the discussion.