appear
- 01 A2 Elementary
to start to be seen or to come into sight.
to come into sight or become visible to the eye. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.
Simple“A small boat slowly appeared on the horizon as the fog cleared.”
In context“Cracks began to appear in the building's foundation after the heavy rains, causing concern among the residents.”
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
to give the impression of being something.
to give the impression of being or doing something; functions as a copular verb.
Simple“The new student appears to be very shy and quiet.”
In context“The results appear to be consistent with our initial hypothesis, though further testing is required to confirm the trend.”
PitfallIt appears me that he is tired. It appears to me that he is tired.When 'appear' means 'seem', use 'to' before the person who has the impression.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
- 04 C1 Advanced
to go to a court of law to answer a charge or give evidence.
to present oneself formally before an authority or tribunal, especially as a party to a legal case.
Simple“The witness was ordered to appear in court on Tuesday morning.”
In context“The defendant failed to appear before the magistrate, resulting in an immediate warrant for his arrest.”
Synonymsattendpresent oneself
Usage appear in your e-mail · appear on the site · appear on first
From Middle English apperen, aperen, borrowed from Old French aparoir (French apparoir), from Latin appāreō (“to appear”), from ad (“to”) + pāreō (“to come forth, to become visible”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₂-s- (“watch, see”), s-present of peh₂- (“protect”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.