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

The food was unfussy and full-flavored, the service gracious, and the staff — from the spa therapists to the bakers — seemed genuinely happy to be here. —Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Time has flown, and the Super Bowl glory delivered by both Taylor and Strahan seems to be eluding Mr. Thibodeaux. —Geoffrey Knox, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

Instead, pulling the strings centrally while also carrying a goal threat seems the clear solution, whether that’s as the No 9 or No 10. —Andy Jones, New York Times, 18 June 2025

Daniele said assembling a nonfiction picture book may seem simple from an outsider’s perspective but can be quite challenging in practice. —Gqlshare, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 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