Synonyms

emerge

American

[ih-murj] / ɪˈmɜrdʒ /

verb (used without object)

to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity.

a ghost emerging from the grave;
a ship emerging from the fog.
to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid.
to come up or arise, as a question or difficulty.
to come into existence; develop.
to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.

emerge British

/ ɪˈmɜːdʒ /

verb

to come up to the surface of or rise from water or other liquid
to come into view, as from concealment or obscurity

he emerged from the cave
(foll by from) to come out (of) or live (through a difficult experience)

he emerged from his ordeal with dignity
to become apparent

several interesting things emerged from the report

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What are other ways to say emerge? To emerge is to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity. How is emerge different from emanate and issue? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of emerge

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin ēmergere “to arise out of,” equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + mergere “to dive, sink”

Explanation

To emerge means to come out into view or come forth. You might hope to emerge from an epic perming session looking like a beauty queen, but chances are it will just look like you got electrocuted. From the Latin emergere, meaning to “rise out or up, bring forth, bring to light,” emerge is an intransitive verb that might bring to mind the image of a whale rising up from the depths of the sea, or of a person popping out from a dark corner to spook you. Appear and peep are synonyms, while dip and sink are antonyms.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing emerge

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List 1

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It added individual personalities were beginning to emerge, with one youngster already showing a noticeably independent streak and often choosing to spend time away from its siblings.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

The American Revolution did emerge out of our particular national context.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The full scale of the work needing to be done is slowly starting to emerge following the initial closure.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

“I think a lot of the people we are seeing emerge in the Democratic Party are millennials and Gen-Z, and we are seeing our generation step into those roles,” Menefee told The Texas Tribune.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

My little brother, Javier, skids to a stop when we emerge from the camouflage of the cedar canopy to an open field of green.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023