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

"And not necessarily in the waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate, anywhere."

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The company in July said it would start guaranteeing the quality of its Whoppers, committing to remake orders on the spot if customers deem them unsatisfactory, and providing a future Whopper for free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“I left less confident that Chair Warsh would deem that appropriate,” said Mike Lorizio, head of U.S. rates and mortgage trading at Manulife Investment Management.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Recent polling suggests that, ahead of Tuesday’s primary, incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has what pollsters deem a statistically insignificant lead in her bid for reelection as the city’s top executive.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

“And how much gold would you deem sufficient for such a voyage?”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Cloud is another business Lapping deems ripe for disintermediation by China.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

AI “refusals”—when a model declines a request it deems harmful—are safety theater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

He added the agreement allows Israel freedom of action to neutralize what it deems as immediate or even emerging threats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

"But, we're just making sure we have everything, then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary."

From Barron's ● May 30, 2026

He deems young people who are raised on digital devices “Generation D.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

“Any use of Mr. Daniels’ NIL occurring after LSU’s receipt of this notice will be deemed knowing and willful and will be pursued vigorously through all available legal and equitable remedies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The information shared with the U.S. was vague, administration officials said, and not deemed entirely credible by many members of the president’s staff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

At the end of April, the group said it had reinstated a regional parliament, which had been deemed illegitimate.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Referee Maj Forsberg said Cunningham was not penalised for her reaction because "we deemed her reaction to the severity of the contact to be acceptable".

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

I was drawn to it because it was a diverse school with limited financial resources and yet had been deemed academically outstanding.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"There's less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases," Cook said, deeming the spike in prices a "hundred-year flood."

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Raman and Pratt are right in deeming Bass the old guard of a beat-up city — but the old guard didn’t get there without knowing how to win.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Construction on the ballroom has been stop-and-go since late March, when a federal judge halted progress after deeming it to be wildly illegal absent congressional approval.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

They read Wong Kim Ark and other sources as having incorporated British common-law doctrine deeming anyone born in the British Empire a subject of the crown.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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