seem

verb

ˈsēm 

seemed; seeming; seems

intransitive verb

1

: to appear to the observation or understanding

2

: to give the impression of being

Synonyms of seem

• look
• feel
• sound
• appear

Examples of seem in a Sentence

What they're doing doesn't seem right to me.

I tried to cheer them up because they seemed depressed.

Recent Examples on the Web

In viral clips of the unexpected visitor, the crowd, filled with locals and tourists who traveled in for the festivities, seems relatively unfazed by the surprise animal guest. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 13 Dec. 2025

The November 12 arrest near Boston at first felt like a traffic stop – but seemed bizarre as agents already seemed to know her name, the Brazilian native said. —Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025

In both cases, regulators zeroed in on specific overlaps — in channels, sports rights, or cable bundling — but seemed unconcerned by broader fears of studio consolidation, theatrical releases or streaming dominance. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025

The explosion does not seem criminal in nature, emergency officials said. —Matthew Fuhrman, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English semen to appear to be, be fitting, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse sœma to honor, sœmr fitting, samr same — more at same

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for seem

• beam
• bream
• cream
• creme
• deem
• dream
• gleam
• meme
• ream
• scheme
• scream
• seam

Kids Definition

seem

verb

ˈsēm 

1

: to give the impression of being : appear

the request seems reasonable

2

a

: to appear to a person's own mind or opinion

can't seem to solve the problem

b

: to appear to be

there seems no reason for worry