Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. appearance, visual aspect(noun)

   outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

2. appearance(noun)

   the event of coming into sight

3. appearance, appearing, coming into court(noun)

   formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action

4. appearance(noun)

   a mental representation

   "I tried to describe his appearance to the police"

5. appearance(noun)

   the act of appearing in public view

   "the rookie made a brief appearance in the first period"; "it was Bernhardt's last appearance in America"

6. appearance, show(noun)

   pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression

   "they try to keep up appearances"; "that ceremony is just for show"

Wiktionary(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. appearance(Noun)

   The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye.

   His sudden appearance surprised me.

2. appearance(Noun)

   A thing seen; a phenomenon; an apparition.

   There was a strange appearance in the sky.

3. appearance(Noun)

   Personal presence; look; aspect; mien.

   And now am come to see . . . It thy appearance answer loud report. u2013 Milton.

4. appearance(Noun)

   apparent likeness; external show; how something appears to others.

5. appearance(Noun)

   The act of appearing in a particular place, or in society, a company, or any proceedings; a coming before the public in a particular character.

6. appearance(Noun)

   The coming into court of either of the parties; the being present in court; the coming into court of a party summoned in an action, either by himself or by his attorney, expressed by a formal entry by the proper officer to that effect; the act or proceeding by which a party proceeded against places himself before the court, and submits to its jurisdiction.

7. appearance(Noun)

   , chiefly used by nurses: the act of defecation by a patient.

   The patient had a small bowel obstruction and there was no appearance until after the obstruction resolved.

Origin: From apparence, from apparentia, from appareo.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Appearance(noun)

   the act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye; as, his sudden appearance surprised me

2. Appearance(noun)

   a thing seed; a phenomenon; a phase; an apparition; as, an appearance in the sky

3. Appearance(noun)

   personal presence; exhibition of the person; look; aspect; mien

4. Appearance(noun)

   semblance, or apparent likeness; external show. pl. Outward signs, or circumstances, fitted to make a particular impression or to determine the judgment as to the character of a person or a thing, an act or a state; as, appearances are against him

5. Appearance(noun)

   the act of appearing in a particular place, or in society, a company, or any proceedings; a coming before the public in a particular character; as, a person makes his appearance as an historian, an artist, or an orator

6. Appearance(noun)

   probability; likelihood

7. Appearance(noun)

   the coming into court of either of the parties; the being present in court; the coming into court of a party summoned in an action, either by himself or by his attorney, expressed by a formal entry by the proper officer to that effect; the act or proceeding by which a party proceeded against places himself before the court, and submits to its jurisdiction

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Appearance

   In law, appearance is the coming into court of either of the parties to a lawsuit, and/or the formal act by which a defendant submits himself to the jurisdiction of the court.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'appearance' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1850

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'appearance' in Nouns Frequency: #714

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of appearance in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of appearance in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Phaedrus:

   First appearance deceives many.

2. Kedar Joshi:

   Man is an appearance; God is a reality.

3. Horace:

   The appearance of right oft leads us wrong.

4. Tom Zegan:

   Most people choose appearance over reality.

5. Christopher Lasch:

   Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.

Images & Illustrations of appearance