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

The balance between efficiency and pleasantness in doing business seems extremely hard to achieve. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

For a few minutes, the prison seems to recede behind his voice. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

But the ever-tactical Sinestro seems to have some other knowledge that might be useful to Hal. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

One of the young men killed in the Passat seems to have previously shared TikTok videos of himself in a car chase with the police. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 24 Aug. 2026

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