ENGLISH
REFERENCE

surfaced

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsɝfɪst// UK //sˈɜːfɪst// sur·faced

v. to come up to the top of the water or to become known after being hidden. You use this when a person swims up for air or when a secret finally comes out.

v. to rise to the upper layer of a liquid or to emerge from concealment into public knowledge. Often describes the reappearance of a person or the revelation of previously suppressed information.


SIMPLE

The whale surfaced for air before diving back down.

CONTEXTUAL

New evidence surfaced during the trial that completely changed the jury's perspective on the case.

COMPLEX

Although the scandal seemed buried for decades, it surfaced once more when a retired clerk discovered the original ledgers in a forgotten archive.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is intransitive when describing physical rising or the emergence of information; it does not take a direct object in these senses.

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