emerged

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   came out or became visible after being hidden or covered.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by from or out of: The bear emerged from the cave.

   Patterns

   • emerge from something
   • emerge out of something
   • emerge into something

   The moon emerged from behind a thick cloud.

   A small turtle emerged from the sand and crawled toward the sea.

   When the fog lifted, the whole valley emerged below us.

2. 2verbintransitive

   became known or started to exist, especially after a period of being unclear or secret.

   Grammar: No object; often used with facts, evidence, or problems as the subject: New evidence emerged.

   Patterns

   • emerge from something
   • it emerged that …
   • emerge as something

   It later emerged that the manager had known about the problem for months.

   A new pattern of voting emerged in the final results.

   Several important questions emerged during the meeting.

3. 3verbintransitive

   recovered from a difficult experience or period and reached a better state.

   Grammar: No object; commonly followed by from: The company emerged from the crisis stronger.

   Patterns

   • emerge from something
   • emerge as something

   The country slowly emerged from years of war.

   She emerged from the trial with her reputation intact.

   The team emerged as the clear winner of the tournament.

Word forms

Common combinations

emerge from

Two deer emerged from the forest and crossed the road.

emerge as

He quickly emerged as the strongest candidate.

it emerged that

It emerged that the letter had never been sent.

newly emerged

The newly emerged butterfly rested on a leaf.

emerge victorious

After a long match, our team emerged victorious.

Synonyms and how they differ

appear

Use 'appear' for something that simply comes into view; 'emerge' suggests it was hidden or covered first.

surface

More informal and often used about information or feelings becoming known.

come out

A common phrasal verb that is less formal than 'emerge' and works in most everyday situations.

Opposites

Word family

emerge verb

the base form, meaning to come out or become known

emergence noun

the act of appearing or becoming known

emerging adjective

new and still developing, as in 'emerging markets'

emergent adjective

formal word for something that is just starting to appear

Commonly confused: emerged or emmerged? emerged or emergency?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “emerged”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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