seem

verb

seemed; seeming; seems

intransitive verb

1
: to appear to the observation or understanding
2
: to give the impression of being

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 After stinging defeats in the Kharkiv region and Kherson in the fall of 2022, Russia seemed to pivot. Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023 The idea of making a TV movie in which regular people got blown to bits by a nuclear blast seemed decidedly off brand. Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023 All seems to be off to a good start when the pair reunite in a tearful, airport greeting. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023 According to our analysis and interviews with APS staff, the results seemed to be disastrous. Todd Feathers, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2023 The sorrow and beauty in it seemed too sharp to have come from a grief that wasn’t personal. Caleb Crain, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023 So Californians as a group seem able to make almost all of their loan payments. Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2023 Both the band and its music seemed lifeless without stacked heels and kabuki color schemes. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 3 Dec. 2023 With bonds continuing to drive sentiment and yields falling, there seems to be little place else for gold to go except up, says Matt Simpson, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, in an email. WSJ, 3 Dec. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of seem was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near seem

seely

seem

seemer

Cite this Entry

“Seem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seem. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

seem

verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on seem

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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