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emerge

B1
verb

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ɪmˈɜːdʒ/

US

  • /ˈimərdʒ/
  • /ɪˈmɜrdʒ/

Description

To emerge means to come out and become known, visible, or important. Think of a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis: it was hidden away, and then there it is. It can also mean that a problem, idea, or situation starts to appear. You might hear about new evidence emerging in a mystery, or a trend emerging in fashion. Sometimes things emerge slowly over time, like a solution to a difficult problem.

The word suggests something appearing after being hidden or not fully formed. A politician's platform can emerge from years of community work, and a winning strategy might emerge during a tense game. Keep an eye on what is emerging; it often signals that change is happening.

Examples

  1. 1

    Weather

    The sun slowly emerged from behind the clouds.

  2. 2

    Crowd movement

    When the concert ended, people began to emerge from the hall.

  3. 3

    Investigation

    New details started to emerge during the investigation.

  4. 4

    Report findings

    It later emerged that the report was incomplete.

    • Pattern

      it emerged that + clause

      it became known that something was true

  5. 5

    Data analysis

    A clear pattern is beginning to emerge in the data.

  6. 6

    Job selection

    She emerged as the strongest candidate for the job.

    • Pattern

      emerge as + role/status

      become known or recognized as that role or status

  7. 7

    Business recovery

    The company emerged from the crisis with a stronger business plan.

    • Pattern

      emerge from + difficulty with + result

      come through something and end up with that result

Forms and spellings

4 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • emergeverb

Forms

  • emerging-ing formverb
  • emergedpast tenseverb
  • emergesverb