What does “appear” mean?
- 1
verbto seem
He appears to be very tired.
- 2
verbto start to be seen
A face appeared at the window.
- 3
verbto take part in a film, show or event
She has appeared in three TV series.
Appear at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /əˈpɪr/ · uh-PEER
How to use “appear” correctly
“Appear” in the sense of “seem” is not used in continuous forms: “She appears happy”, not “She is appearing happy”.
Common phrases with “appear”
- appear to be
- it appears that
- suddenly appear
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- seem
- show up
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- disappear
- vanish
Word family
- appearance
- disappear
- apparent
“appear” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- affect verbB1to cause a change in someone or something
- avoid verbB1to stay away from someone or something
- beat verbB1to win against someone in a game or competition
- cause verbB1to make something happen, usually something bad
- involve verbB1to include something as a necessary part
- lay verbB1to put someone or something down carefully in a flat position
- occur verbB1to happen, especially without being planned
- perform verbB1to entertain people by acting, singing, dancing or playing music