to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, orabout ).
hemmed in by enemies.
an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.
the edge, border, or margin of anything.
Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
the utterance or sound of “hem.”
a sound or pause of hesitation.
His sermon was full of hems and haws.
to utter the sound “hem.”
to hesitate in speaking.
an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down
short for hemline
to provide with a hem
to enclose or confine
(intr) to utter this sound
to hesitate in speaking or in making a decision
What does hem- mean? Hem- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “blood.” It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology. Hem- comes from the Greek haîma, meaning “blood.”Hem- is a variant of hemo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. The spelling haem- is chiefly used in British English. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use hemo- article. Other variants of hem- used like hem- are hema-, hemato-, and hemat-. As with haem-, all of these combining forms are often spelled with an additional a in British English, as in haemo-, haema-, haemato-, and haemat-. Historically, these forms have been spelled with a ligature of the a and e, as in hæm-. Closely related to hem- are -aemia, -emia, -haemia, and -hemia, which are combined to the ends of words to denote blood conditions. You can learn all about the specific applications for each of these forms at our Words That Use articles for them.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English hem(e), Old English hem, probably akin to ham “piece of enclosed land, enclosure”; see origin at home
First recorded in 1520–30; imitative
When kids grow taller, their parents sometimes have to let out the hem in their pants so they'll be long enough. The hem is the very bottom, folded edge of a piece of clothing. Most of your clothes have at least one hem in them — at the ends of your sleeves, the bottom of your skirt, or along the edge of your t-shirt. When a person sews a hem, whether he's making a dress or a pair of curtains, he folds a very small amount of fabric under two or three times and stitches along the edge in a straight line. In Old English, the word hem means "a border."
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But standing still is no guarantee of safety either: One woman’s hem got caught in the teeth of an escalator.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
There were forms and traditions and processes, there were strictures, rules, the law, expectations, all of which would hem in the head of the executive branch, at least eventually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
Authorities often attempt to hem in or demolish slums rather than extend electricity, paved roads or schools to them.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
Ever an innovator in sustainable fashion, this midi skirt from Gabriela Hearst features soft leather in a feminine silhouette but with a raw-cut hem that references the power of nature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2025
The suitor, kissing the hem of the garment again before relinquishing it, replied, “Habraham Latharuth, on thuthpithion of plate.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Mary Quant sold her first hem- and eyebrow-raising miniskirts.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2013
This new version isn’t hemmed in by the traditional structures of a book musical, allowing it to play fast and loose with the theatrical context without having to throw out the story or the score.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Despite being close to the coast, players and spectators cannot see the sea, with the tight plot of land hemmed in by a railway track and houses.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
It was whether federal courts, hemmed in by the modern law of habeas corpus, are permitted to say anything meaningful about that possibility at all.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
Mandalay, an ancient royal capital hemmed by jungle-clad mountains and the snaking Irrawaddy river, bore the brunt of the damage.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
The path, which ran parallel to the river, led to a little grassy clearing that was hemmed in by huddled trees: coconut, cashew, mango, bilimbi.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
He has also mocked allies uneasy about the widening conflict, referring to those who "wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force."
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
"The hemming wasn't right, the length wasn't right. You either go on parade right or you don't go at all."
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026
“They’re rolling their eyes at the price, hemming and hawing about it, but if people drink cold brew, they’re getting their cold brew,” said Pedeaux.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
And they're hemming and hawing and saying, what if they use it as .
From Salon ● May 9, 2024
Some of the clothes have missing buttons or small rips and tears, and others need hemming or taking in.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
