deem

American  

[deem] / dim /

verb (used without object)

• deems,
  present (3rd person singular)
• deemed,
  past participle,  past
• deeming
  present participle

1. to form or have an opinion; judge; think.

   He did not deem lightly of the issue.

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verb (used with object)

• deems,
  present (3rd person singular)
• deemed,
  past participle,  past
• deeming
  present participle

1. to hold as an opinion; think; regard as.

   He deemed it wise to refuse the offer.

   Synonyms:

   believe, hold, consider

deem British  

/ diːm /

verb

1. (tr) to judge or consider

   I do not deem him worthy of this honour

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• deeming
  present
• deemed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• deem
  simple
• deems
  simple
• have deemed
  perfect
• has deemed
  perfect
• am deeming
  progressive
• are deeming
  progressive
• is deeming
  progressive
• have been deeming
  perfect progressive
• has been deeming
  perfect progressive

Past

• deemed
  simple
• had deemed
  perfect
• was deeming
  progressive
• were deeming
  progressive
• had been deeming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will deem
  simple
• will have deemed
  perfect
• will be deeming
  progressive
• will have been deeming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of deem

First recorded before 900; Middle English demen, Old English dēman; cognate with Gothic dōmjan, Old High German tuomen; see doom

Explanation

To deem is a verb that means to view as or judge. Your parents or boss may deem something necessary that you don't, like coming home by midnight or working late. Deem comes from the Old English word, deman — meaning "act as a judge." If you deem something, you essentially become the judge of whether it has a characteristic. For example, if you deem your little sister's jokes to be too ridiculous to listen to, you will probably just walk away.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deem deems deemed deeming

Proponents hold that estrangement is being destigmatized, not necessarily happening more often, and that it can be needed and healing for adult children to cut off parents they deem harmful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

But some experts say they could also be a statement on which pockets of the AI hardware sector investors deem resilient.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

The agency said that it alerted the appropriate Illinois law enforcement agency of its findings, and the Illinois agency did not deem it to be an actionable threat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The world of “Lanterns” prefers to be bracingly honest about our false assumptions about heroism and whether the people we deem to be noble really are.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

First, it went only from one side of our yard to the other: what our mother could see and deem safe if she stood in the middle.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

He first appears dressed as Santa Claus, who has come to deliver a hand towel or a pink slip to his employees, depending on whether he deems them naughty or nice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

"This is a message that Pyongyang is closely watching the upcoming drills and could stage a provocation if it deems one necessary."

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

The law allows the president to impose tariffs on products he deems critical to national security, such as polysilicon that ends up in semiconductors used by military contractors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Singapore has strict rules on public speech and what it deems as demonstrations, arguing that it is necessary to regulate them to protect social harmony.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Well, you have three weeks. It’s not long, but you can begin training. If the Assignment Board deems you fit, possibly your case will be reviewed.”

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Backers say it closes a loophole in existing law by stating that animals seized by police officers or animal control officers without a warrant can be deemed abandoned after a 14-day period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Cincinnati Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both fined for making a gesture the league deemed to be obscene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Unsheltered” people live outdoors, in cars, in abandoned buildings, or in other places deemed unfit for human habitation, HUD says.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Often, he said, records had been destroyed because they were deemed to contain other peoples' personal information, or because they were bulky.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The birds’ resemblance to ordinary barnyard chickens was deemed remarkable, and many commented upon it.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

City officials on Tuesday “red-tagged” seven of those homes in the Capistrano Bay District community, deeming them unsafe for residents, and two others were “yellow-tagged,” signifying some safety concerns, according to Dana Point officials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

District Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California said in her decision that the government had illegally retaliated against Anthropic, deeming it a supply-chain risk “for constitutionally protected expressive activities.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

He faces opposition in particular from UEFA, which on Thursday stood by its threat to boycott the World Cups, deeming the mere withdrawal of the controversial plan to be insufficient.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

The three judges also found that the original judge had erred by not deeming Tickle's removal from the app based on Grover's "first visual review" of the profile picture as direct discrimination.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

He took on big, monopolistic companies, deeming them “hurtful to the general welfare.”

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• allow
• assume
• believe
• expect
• feel
• presume
• suppose
• suspect