appear
appear — verb
1. to start being seen, often suddenly or after being hidden, so that someone notic
to start being seen, often suddenly or after being hidden, so that someone notices you or it.
A small rabbit suddenly appeared from behind the wooden fence.
appear + from/behind [place]
Dark clouds appeared over the mountain just before the storm hit Taipei.
A red rash appeared on Mia's arm after she touched the plant.
When the magician opened the box, three white doves appeared.
Tiny stars began to appear in the sky as the sun went down.
- emerge
more formal; suggests coming out of something
- show up
informal; often about people arriving
- materialize
suggests appearing as if by magic
文法句型
appear + (preposition + place)
appear from/behind/out of [place]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing or living creature that comes into the watcher's view. Often paired with adverbs like suddenly, slowly, or first.
常見錯誤
2. to be at a court or other official place because you are part of a legal case, e
to be at a court or other official place because you are part of a legal case, either as the accused, a witness, or a lawyer.
Mr. Lin will appear in court next Tuesday on charges of fraud.
appear in court on [charge]
The teenager appeared before the judge with his parents and a lawyer.
appear before [judge]
Three witnesses appeared at the trial to describe what they had seen.
The company's CEO must appear before the committee to answer questions about the leak.
- fail to appear
common legal phrase for missing a court date
文法句型
appear in court
appear before [judge / committee]
appear on [charge]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'in court', 'before [an authority]', or 'at [a hearing]'. Distinguish from sense 1 (BECOME VISIBLE): this sense is about formal attendance, not about being seen.
常見錯誤
3. to give the outward impression of being a certain way, even though you are not s
to give the outward impression of being a certain way, even though you are not sure it is really true.
Sara appeared calm during the interview, but her hands were shaking.
appear + adjective
The plan appears to be working, since sales have grown for three months.
appear to + base verb
It appears that the train will be delayed by at least an hour.
The old painting appears older than it really is because of the dark frame.
From the outside, the small shop appears empty, but inside it is full of treasures.
- seem
very close in meaning; slightly more common in speech
- look
based mainly on visual impression
- come across as
how someone is perceived by others
文法句型
appear + adjective
appear to + base verb
it appears (that) + clause
用法筆記
Use 'appear to + base verb' (appear to be / appear to know), NOT 'appear that someone V'. The pattern 'It appears that + clause' is correct, but 'He appears that he is tired' is wrong — say 'He appears to be tired'.
常見錯誤
4. to act, sing, or otherwise perform as one of the people you can see in a movie,
to act, sing, or otherwise perform as one of the people you can see in a movie, stage production, or broadcast.
Emma Stone appeared in three films last year, including a romantic comedy.
appear in [film]
The young actor will appear as Hamlet at the National Theatre next month.
appear as [character]
BTS appeared on a popular American talk show to promote their new album.
Mr. Chen has appeared in over twenty Taiwanese stage plays since 2010.
文法句型
appear in [film / play / show]
appear as [character]
appear on [TV programme]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a performer (actor, singer, band). Use 'in' for films/plays, 'on' for TV programmes. Different from sense 5 (BE PUBLISHED): a person appears in a show, but a book or article appears in a magazine.
常見錯誤
5. (of writing, photos, or news) to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or book, o
(of writing, photos, or news) to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or book, or shown on a website or screen.
Her photo appeared on the front page of the local newspaper this morning.
appear on [page]
An article about the new vaccine appeared in The Lancet last week.
appear in [journal]
Dr. Patel's research on bee decline appeared in National Geographic last month.
The poem first appeared in a small student magazine in 1985.
- be published
more formal; works for books and articles
- be printed
focus on physical printing
- come out
informal; often used for new books or issues
文法句型
appear in [newspaper / magazine / journal]
appear on [website / page]
用法筆記
Subject is the text, image, or piece of content — not the author. Often used with 'first appeared' to mark the original publication.
常見錯誤
6. to come into existence for the first time, so that people start to know about it
to come into existence for the first time, so that people start to know about it or use it.
Smartphones first appeared in the late 1990s and changed daily life forever.
first appeared in [time]
A new strain of the flu virus has appeared in northern Europe this winter.
Cheap electric scooters appeared on Taipei streets around 2018.
Many new bubble tea shops have appeared in the neighbourhood since last summer.
- emerge
more formal; common with trends and ideas
- arise
formal; often for problems or questions
- come into being
formal; about existence itself
文法句型
[thing] + appear + (time/place)
first appeared in [year/place]
用法筆記
Subject is a product, technology, trend, or idea that did not exist before. Distinguish from sense 1 (BECOME VISIBLE): sense 1 is about something physically coming into sight; this sense is about something newly existing in the world.