The verb appear has 7 senses (first 7 from tagged texts)
1. (123) look, appear, seem -- (give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect; "She seems to be sleeping"; "This appears to be a very difficult problem"; "This project looks fishy"; "They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time")
2. (102) appear -- (come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon")
3. (22) appear, come out -- (be issued or published; "Did your latest book appear yet?"; "The new Woody Allen film hasn't come out yet")
4. (14) appear, seem -- (seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad")
5. (7) appear, come along -- (come into being or existence, or appear on the scene; "Then the computer came along and changed our lives"; "Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago")
6. (2) appear -- (appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage")
7. (1) appear -- (present oneself formally, as before a (judicial) authority; "He had to appear in court last month"; "She appeared on several charges of theft")