| appearance | |
| 1. n. The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye. | |
| His sudden appearance surprised me. | |
| 2. n. A thing seen; a phenomenon; an apparition. | |
| There was a strange appearance in the sky. | |
| 3. n. The way something looks; personal presence | |
| 4. n. Apparent likeness; the way which something or someone appears to others. | |
| Some people say I'm shallow because I care so much about my appearance. | |
| 5. n. (philosophy, theology) That which is not substance, essence, hypostasis; the outward reality as opposed to the underlying reality | |
| Catholicism teaches that the Eucharist, while remaining under the physical appearance of bread and wine, becomes really and truly the body and the blood of Christ. | |
| 6. n. 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. | |
| A person makes his appearance as an historian, an artist, or an orator. | |
| David Beckham's first appearance with the LA Galaxy at Giants Stadium against the New York Red Bulls last night drew a crowd of 66237. | |
| 7. n. (legal) An instance of someone coming into a court of law to be part of a trial, either in person or represented by an attorney or such like; a court appearance | |
| 8. n. (medical) 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. | |
