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

European sides will still have to comply with UEFA’s more stringent rules, which broadly mirror both SCR’s spending cap and PSR’s three-year rolling assessment period, but the faster implementation of sanctions makes the regulations seem fairer. — George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

New Atlas The rides were in varying stages of decay, and there seemed to be a lot of orphaned carousel horses from other amusement centers dotted across the park. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

The milestone seems likely for the War Eagles, who have won at least four games every year since 1982. — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Seeing so many of the greats is wonderful, and people seem to be having a great time. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 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