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

Staff say that the sanctions have not hindered the court’s work, but this seems improbable. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Nov. 2026

The absurd 62-foot three-pointer Luka Doncic hoisted and made late in the second quarter Friday night seemed to ignite him, pushing him to even higher heights on the way to scoring 53 points. — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026

Do not ignore a small bill simply because the amount seems insignificant. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

And the position from William is even more surprising considering everyone seems to be pressuring him to let bygones be bygones. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 7 Nov. 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