seam
Americannoun
-
seams
plural
-
the line formed by sewing together pieces of cloth, leather, or the like.
-
the stitches used to make such a line.
-
any line formed by abutting edges.
-
any linear indentation or mark, as a wrinkle or scar.
-
Knitting. a line of stitches formed by purling.
-
Geology. a comparatively thin stratum; a bed, as of coal.
verb (used with object)
-
seams,
present (3rd person singular)
-
seamed,
past participle, past
-
seaming
present participle
-
to join with or as if with stitches; make the seam or seams of.
-
to furrow; mark with wrinkles, scars, etc.
-
Knitting. to knit with or in a seam.
verb (used without object)
-
seams,
present (3rd person singular)
-
seamed,
past participle, past
-
seaming
present participle
-
to become cracked, fissured, or furrowed.
-
Knitting. to make a line of stitches by purling.
noun
-
the line along which pieces of fabric are joined, esp by stitching
-
a ridge or line made by joining two edges
-
a stratum of coal, ore, etc
-
a linear indentation, such as a wrinkle or scar
-
surgery another name for suture
-
(modifier) cricket of or relating to a style of bowling in which the bowler utilizes the stitched seam round the ball in order to make it swing in flight and after touching the ground
a seam bowler
-
full to overflowing
-
dialect doing well, esp financially
verb
-
(tr) to join or sew together by or as if by a seam
-
to make ridges in (knitting) using purl stitch
-
to mark or become marked with or as if with a seam or wrinkle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
seamsimple
-
seamssimple
-
have seamedperfect
-
has seamedperfect
-
am seamingprogressive
-
are seamingprogressive
-
is seamingprogressive
-
have been seamingperfect progressive
-
has been seamingperfect progressive
Past
-
seamedsimple
-
had seamedperfect
-
was seamingprogressive
-
were seamingprogressive
-
had been seamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of seam
before 1000; Middle English seme (noun), Old English sēam; cognate with German Saum hem; akin to sew 1, Greek hymḗn membrane ( see hymen)
Explanation
When you sew two pieces of fabric together, the line you are sewing is the seam. Coal appears in long, linear underground deposits referred to as seams. A garment that is coming to pieces will often first tear at the seams, the weakest parts. People use this image to describe anything that has reached a point where it is simply not holding together––your car could be falling apart at the seams, or if there's been a lot of stress in your life, you could be too — and you might have to move into a seamy neighborhood.
Vocabulary lists containing seam
October Sky
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Sewing Away
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Five of Maiava’s first seven completions went to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, one of which came on a 31-yard strike down the seam to the freshman, who reeled in a touchdown despite tight coverage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Their four-pronged seam attack hitting their straps after Joe Root had won the toss in Autumnal conditions.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
In a run that began in August 2022 and ended with the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne in December, Root was lbw to seam bowlers in Test cricket on only three occasions.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
While Robinson and Archer can operate as swing bowlers as well as bowling their more natural seam, this current group's variety comes more from their plans and their specific characteristics.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The women poured over each seam, inspecting the sister’s dresses, petticoats, and stockings.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
“You can’t just run up the field and create vertical seams — he’ll take advantage of that,” Rams edge rusher Byron Young said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
She told the BBC's Walescast that her former party was "completely chaotic" and was "falling apart at the seams".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
McElwee stitches together the past and present to find new meaning in their seams, a jagged line that runs through time and points toward the future.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Wilde “read” the water, pointing out the seams on the surface that denote shifting currents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The senior inspector had a heavy face, rich in seams, as though carved from folded granite.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Charlotte is always tightly seamed and belted, while Lisa, a filmmaker, wears bright colors and straddles the line between adventurous pop art flair and polished affluence.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
It moved in the air and seamed past Cameron Green's bat.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2021
Period costumes, by Jane Greenwood, announce their authenticity, right down to the seamed stockings.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2019
It’s made of thin cotton/modal French terry, which is flat on one side and looped on the other—the robe has seamed, decorative panels that reveal both sides of the fabric.
From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2018
The faces are the same, too, seamed, dark-eyed, significandy boned.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
But he only lasted seven balls, edging a seaming delivery into the safe hands of Marnus Labuschagne at third slip.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
Someone who could complement Perry instead of supplanting her is fellow seaming all-rounder Tahlia McGrath, who first played for Australia in 2016 but has taken a few years to fire.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2022
A seminal and comprehensive history; Times critic Bharati Mukherjee called Takaki’s method “extraordinary, seaming together meticulous scholarship, impassioned analysis, popular culture and personal memoir.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2021
The contoured silhouettes with intricate seaming, embroidery and couture detailing looked deceptively more expensive than their retail price.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2020
The seaming rolls are set before the machine leaves the factory and should not require adjusting for some time, but I have found that slight variations in cans may make adjusting necessary.
From Every Step in Canning by Grace Viall Gray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
