seem

verb

ˈsēm 

seemed; seeming; seems

intransitive verb

1

: to appear to the observation or understanding

2

: to give the impression of being

Synonyms

• 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

Clarkson is a good start, but another piece or two seems likely to be added. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025

AIs forming and operating C-corps or LLCs seems plausible. —Robert C. Wolcott, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Founded in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1973 by a host of Ivy League squash and tennis players, Boast emerged as the American counterpart to Europe’s heritage tennis brands during a decade when the sport seemed to saturate U.S. culture. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 30 June 2025

That’s interesting because there are clear macroeconomic risks on the horizon, which investors seem to be ignoring—at least for now. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 June 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