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appear - 6 dictionary results

ap⋅pear

  [uh-peer]
Use appear in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to come into sight; become visible: A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.
2. to have the appearance of being; seem; look: to appear wise.
3. to be obvious or easily perceived; be clear or made clear by evidence: It appears to me that you are right.
4. to come or be placed before the public; be published: Her biography appeared last year.
5. to perform publicly, as in a play, dance, etc.: He appeared as the king in the play.
6. to attend or be present, esp. to arrive late or stay but a short time: He appeared at the party but left quickly.
7. to come into being; be created, invented, or developed: Speech appears in the child's first or second year.
8. Law. to come formally, esp. as a party or counsel, to a proceeding before a tribunal, authority, etc.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME ap(p)eren < AF, OF aper-, tonic s. of apare(i)r, apparoir < L appārēre be seen, appear, equiv. to ap- ap1 + pārēre be visible

Synonyms:
1. emerge, arise. 2. See seem.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To appear
ap·pear   (ə-pîr')   
intr.v.   ap·peared, ap·pear·ing, ap·pears
  1. To become visible: a plane appearing in the sky.
  2. To come into existence: New strains of viruses appear periodically.
  3. To seem or look to be: appeared unhappy. See Synonyms at seem.
  4. To seem likely: They will be late, as it appears.
  5. To come before the public: has appeared in two plays; appears on the nightly news.
  6. Law To present oneself formally before a court as defendant, plaintiff, or counsel.

[Middle English aperen, from Old French aparoir, aper-, from Latin appārēre : ad-, ad- + pārēre, to show.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to come into view: a ship appearing on the horizon; a star that emerged from behind a cloud; a diver issuing from the water; a peak that loomed through the mist; a job offer that materialized overnight; a shirtsleeve showing at the edge of the jacket. See Also Synonyms at seem.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Appear

Ap*pear"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Appeared; p. pr. & vb. n. Appearing.] [OE. apperen, aperen, OF. aparoir, F. apparoir, fr. L. appar?re to appear + par?reto come forth, to be visible; prob. from the same root as par?re to produce. Cf. Apparent, Parent, Peer, v. i.]

1. To come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible.

And God . . . said, Let . . . the dry land appear. --Gen. i. 9.

2. To come before the public; as, a great writer appeared at that time.

3. To stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, or the like; to present one's self as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried.

We must all appear before the judgment seat. --[hand] Cor. v. 10.

One ruffian escaped because no prosecutor dared to appear. --Macaulay.

4. To become visible to the apprehension of the mind; to be known as a subject of observation or comprehension, or as a thing proved; to be obvious or manifest.

It doth not yet appear what we shall be. --1 John iii. 2.

Of their vain contest appeared no end. --Milton.

5. To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.

They disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. --Matt. vi. 16.

Syn: To seem; look. See Seem.

Appear

Ap*pear"\, n. Appearance. [Obs.] --J. Fletcher.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : appear
Spanish: aparecer,
German: erscheinen,
Japanese: 現われる
More Translations »

appear 
c.1250, from O.Fr. aper-, stem of apareir, from L. apparere "to appear," from ad- "to" + perere "to come forth, be visible." Appearance "look, aspect" is from c.1385.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ap·pear
Function: intransitive verb
1 : to present oneself before a person or body having authority appear before the officer who is to take the deposition —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 37(d)>: as a : to present oneself in court as a party to a lawsuit often through the representation of an attorney; also : to participate as a party to a lawsuit in a way other than by physical presence (as by mail) b : to present oneself in court as the attorney for a party to a lawsuit <appearing for the defendant>
2 : to have an outward look appears unethical>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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