seem

verb

ˈsēm 

seemed; seeming; seems

intransitive verb

1

: to appear to the observation or understanding

2

: to give the impression of being

Synonyms

• act
• appear
• come across (as)
• come off (as)
• feel
• look
• make
• sound

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

Jim Acosta's days at CNN are done, but his feud with President Donald Trump seems far from over. —Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025

In addition to cutting Smith, Indianapolis seems unlikely to re-sign center Ryan Kelly, who is also an unrestricted free agent. —James Boyd, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025

At 18 tracks — with two more on the deluxe edition — Jump Out feels expansive without ever trudging into the realm of seeming overbearing. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025

The game saw seven ties and 10 lead changes, but Decatur seemed to be battling from behind most of the game. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Feb. 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

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