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to surface

to surface

143 3.9
To rise to the top and become visible after being hidden
  • verb
  • /ˈsɜrfɪs/
translation icon : aflorar
  • The truth about the incident began to surface after the investigation opened.
  • issues surface
  • problems surface
  • begin to surface

It'd be a shame if something were to surface about Zack's past.

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Examples

  • In some cases, bodies take weeks, months, and even years to surface.

  • In addition to state legislation, the attack on immigrants has also surfaced within local communities.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Signal the American Captain as soon as we surface.

  • But how, how would a coach help you to surface your hidden assumptions?

  • We're going to examine those and see if we can surface some answers.

  • Anger at being allowed no inner life did not surface until much later.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The earlier report identified a fourth characteristic, instrumental support, which did not surface in this study.

    Academic text (2013)
  • As I considered various programs, Duke University kept surfacing as a particularly attractive choice.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The same can be said of the anti-Catholicism that surfaced in the aftermath of World War I.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Water contamination has surfaced as one of the many theories being taken seriously as to the cause of the events in the Northeast.

Synonyms

to show up
vsto surface
1.4

To be seen or arrive at a place

is about rising to the top or becoming visible after being hidden
to rise
vsto surface
718 1.0

To move upward into the air, like smoke or mist

is about becoming visible or reaching the top layer after hiding
to come up
vsto surface
571 2.2

To move from below to a higher place, like a diver rising to the surface

is about becoming visible after hiding rather than just upward movement
to come out
vsto surface
526 2.3

To appear or become visible, for example when the sun shines through clouds

is about rising to the top layer rather than just appearing
to turn up
vsto surface
177 2.0

To appear after being lost or when not expected

is focused on moving to the top layer or becoming visible after hiding
to rise up
vsto surface
33 3.9

Move up through a liquid to the surface

is used for becoming visible after hiding rather than only in liquids

Antonyms

15 4.6

To cover completely so it cannot be seen, often by water or strong feeling

Idioms

To look below the surface to find the real reasons

A feeling that is hidden but easy to notice

Phrasal Verbs

to surface mine
  • Specialized
1 6.0

To remove earth and rock from the ground to get coal or other minerals

To make the outside of something look, feel, or work differently

Point out the most important problem in a discussion

To remove the top layer of ground to get minerals like coal

Compounds

surface-to-air
  • Specialized
26 6.6

A weapon launched from the ground to hit targets in the air

19 6.3

A weapon launched from the ground or a ship to destroy aircraft in the sky

The outer layer of the Earth that includes land and oceans where life lives

surface area
  • Specialized
15 3.9

The total outside area of a solid object or a specific area inside a border

surface tension
  • Specialized
5 4.3

A force that makes a liquid surface pull together like a skin

4 2.7

A flat surface like a table or countertop where you do work

surface ship
  • Specialized
2 4.9

A military ship that moves and fights on the water's surface, not underwater

2 3.0

The top layer of a road that vehicles drive on

control surface
  • Specialized
1 6.6

A movable part on a plane that the pilot moves to steer or keep it steady

The top side of an object that you can touch or see

A wall or other area that stands straight up from the ground

air-to-surface
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A weapon or missile a plane uses to hit targets on the ground

1 6.7

A weapon that a plane fires to hit a target on the ground

An area of closely cut grass around a golf hole where players hit the ball toward the hole

A flat area covered with hard material like concrete or stones

surface noise
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A soft background sound made when a record player's needle rubs a vinyl record

1 7.9

A set of weapons and equipment that shoots rockets at planes

7.4

A pull at the surface between two liquids that do not mix, like oil and water

A U.S. Navy center that develops and tests weapons and systems for ships

quadric surface
  • Specialized
9.9

A surface in three-dimensional space made by an equation with squared terms in x, y, and z

ruled surface
  • Specialized
9.9

A shape formed when a straight line moves through space

surface fire
  • Specialized
5.5

A forest fire that burns leaves and small plants, not large trees

surface gauge
  • Specialized
9.4

An instrument with a pointed tool on an adjustable stand used to mark and check flat surfaces like metal plates

surface assimilation
  • Specialized
7.9

Small amounts of gas or liquid stick to a solid surface and form a thin layer

surface chemistry
  • Specialized
5.8

The part of science that studies how substances act where two materials meet, like liquid and air

surface condenser
  • Specialized
6.8

A machine in power plants that cools steam from a turbine and turns it into water

surface lift
  • Specialized
5.1

A machine that pulls skiers up a slope while they stay on the ground

surface soil
  • Specialized
3.4

The top layer of ground that has the most plant food

surface-active agent
  • Specialized
6.9

A chemical in soaps and detergents that helps water mix with oil

Letters and packages sent by land or sea instead of by air

surface search radar
  • Specialized
7.0

Equipment on a ship that finds and follows other ships

surface-assimilative
  • Specialized
9.9

Causes liquids or tiny bits to stick to a surface

A smooth, non-stick coating that keeps food from sticking

How Visible

to emerge
249 3.5
to surface
143 3.9
to appear
873 1.0

Surface Forms

surface infinitive
surfaced past
surfaced past participle
surfacing present participle
surfaces third person singular

Etymology

Surface comes from the Latin parts super- ('above') and face ('face'), giving the image of something coming up to the 'top face'; imagine a diver coming up to the water's top. So, to surface is to rise or come up from being hidden.