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

Interiors celebrate a sense of Baroque maximalism that may seem at odds with the surrounding Basque nature, but is meant to evoke the Belle Époque splendor that San Sebastián is famous for. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

We humans from time to time are tilted heavily toward the darkness, but the ultimate counter to that seems to be religion. — Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

However, not being able to fit much popcorn into certain buckets doesn’t seem to make a difference in which designs fly off the shelves. — Matt Minton, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026

When your nose is blocked, even your favorite foods can seem dull. — Sundeep Venkatesan, The Conversation, 3 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