reappear

reappear — verb

1. to come into sight or be seen once more after being absent or missing for a whil

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to come into sight or be seen once more after being absent or missing for a while

Example

Eitan's cat reappeared at the back door after three days, looking thin but unharmed.

reappear + after [time period]

When the sun reappeared from behind the clouds, the children ran outside to play.

reappear + from [location]

Common collocations
  • reappear after [time]
  • reappear in/at/from [place]
  • reappear suddenly
  • reappear mysteriously
Synonyms
  • re-emerge

    slightly more formal; often used for ideas, trends, or people coming from obscurity

  • resurface

    can be literal (from water) or metaphorical (issues, memories); slightly dramatic tone

  • come back

    informal, conversational; broader in meaning, includes returning to a place or state

Antonyms
  • disappear

    the direct opposite — to cease to be visible

  • vanish

    more sudden or dramatic disappearance

Grammar Patterns

reappear

reappear + adverb/prepositional phrase

Usage Note

Intransitive only — no direct object follows. Frequently used with time phrases (after [duration]) or location phrases (in/at/from [place]). The prefix re- signals that the subject was present before, then absent, then visible again.

Common Mistakes

The cat reappeared its owner after a week.
The cat reappeared after a week.
reappear is intransitive and never takes a direct object.
She reappeared the book on the shelf.
The book reappeared on the shelf.
you cannot reappear something; something reappears on its own.

Word family

  • reappearance
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe something becoming visible or present again after an absence. Reappear is the most neutral and widely used — it works for people, objects, natural phenomena, and medical symptoms (a rash reappears). Re-emerge is slightly more formal and often carries the idea of someone or something stepping out of obscurity or a period of inactivity (a singer re-emerges after a long break). Resurface is strongly associated with two specific contexts: literally rising from water (a submarine resurfaces), or metaphorically for buried issues or memories that become active again (old tensions resurface). Come back is the informal, everyday option that also covers returning to a place (she came back from vacation), which reappear does not fully cover. For a neutral, written-format description of visible return, reappear is the best choice.

reappear ↗re-emergeresurfacecome back ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • after [period of time]
  • for the first time in [period]

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English in the early 1600s from the prefix re- ('again') added to appear, which came from Latin apparere ('to come into sight, become visible'). The prefix re- gives the word its core meaning of doing the action a second time.