seem

verb

ˈsēm 

seemed; seeming; seems

intransitive verb

1

: to appear to the observation or understanding

2

: to give the impression of being

Synonyms

• act
• appear
• come across (as)
• come off (as)
• feel
• look
• make
• sound

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

That seems doubtful, but, in the absence of documentary evidence about Hall’s life after the verdict, Davis permits herself a fanciful speculation. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024

Rotten is also relative; a ripe, smelly cheese in one culture might seem rotten in another. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024

The program comes up with machine learning experiments, decides what seems most promising with the help of an LLM, then writes and runs the necessary code—rinse and repeat. —Will Knight, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2024

The device, priced at $10,000, targeted a very specific slice of the consumer base, the wealthy gamer, which seemed apt for a collection with only 100 products available. —Adriana Lee, WWD, 19 Aug. 2024

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

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