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

"The family are very interested to know what evidence was provided or what evidence wasn't provided by the prison service in order for the court to deem it not substantial," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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

People perceived to look honest or trustworthy are more likely to receive job offers; those we deem shifty are shunted to the social sidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 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

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

“In light of evolving societal norms, the Commissioner deems there is insufficient justification for the continued use of marital status in automobile insurance rating,” the filing stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

OpenAI is limiting the release of a new model it deems capable of pulling off automated cyberattacks, adding layers of security after a swarm of its AI agents hacked a company earlier this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

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

I also give my consent for my children and my children's children, etc., to continue in this experiment until such time as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare deems it to be complete.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

Duckett, in contrast, averages 23.4 on surfaces deemed as 'high bouncing' since the start of 2023.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

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

The NFL fined Juszczyk $14,926 for violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of its rulebook because it was deemed an unsportsmanlike act—and he wasn’t alone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Frontier models are those deemed to be on the cutting edge of what AI has to offer.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

The fact that most of the evidence in support of any disparity had since been discredited was deemed irrelevant; what mattered was whether the law had seemed rational at the time it was adopted.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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

You have three options: First, if you claim now at 64, your benefit is permanently reduced, and because of the aforementioned deeming rules.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Netflix has not published an update on its subscriber count since the first quarter of 2025, deeming the once closely followed metric too volatile.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 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