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• hem
  hem

  verb (used with object)

  to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
• hem-
  hem-

  variant of hemo- before a vowel.

hem

¹ American  

[hem] / hɛm /

verb (used with object)

hemmed, hemming

1. to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.

2. to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, orabout ).

   hemmed in by enemies.

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noun

1. an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.

2. the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.

3. the edge, border, or margin of anything.

4. Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.

hem ² American  

[hem] / hɛm /

interjection

1. (an utterance resembling a slight clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc.)

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noun

1. the utterance or sound of “hem.”

2. a sound or pause of hesitation.

   His sermon was full of hems and haws.

verb (used without object)

hemmed, hemming

1. to utter the sound “hem.”

2. to hesitate in speaking.

idioms

1. hem and haw,

   1. to hesitate or falter.

      She hemmed and hawed a lot before she came to the point.

   2. to speak noncommittally; avoid giving a direct answer.

      He hems and haws and comes out on both sides of every question.

hem- ³ American  

1. variant of hemo- before a vowel.

   hemal.

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hem ¹ British  

/ hɛm /

noun

1. an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down

2. short for hemline

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verb

1. to provide with a hem

2. to enclose or confine

hem ² British  

/ hɛm /

noun

1. a representation of the sound of clearing the throat, used to gain attention, express hesitation, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to utter this sound

2. to hesitate in speaking or in making a decision

hem- ³ British  

combining form

1. a US variant of haemo-

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of hem¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English hem(e), Old English hem, probably akin to ham “piece of enclosed land, enclosure”; see origin at home

Origin of hem²

First recorded in 1520–30; imitative

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hem hem- hemmed hemming

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

Fences crisscrossing the National Mall to hem in the Great American State Fair have blocked the famed sightline from the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 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

She shows off large animal heads, including a rat and a bull, and an embroidered dress with a ruffled hem made for the production of the Handel opera "Alcina".

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

Her jacket, her gloves, even the hem of her gown.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Mary Quant sold her first hem- and eyebrow-raising miniskirts.

From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2013

Rescue operations had yet to begin when AFP arrived, with the site hemmed in by high-rise buildings, complicating efforts.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

When the park opened in 2006, I thought it seemed too flat and shapeless, too hemmed in by Broadway and Spring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Hundreds of people in central Greece are being evacuated by sea after the coastal town they were in became hemmed in by one of the many wildfires raging across the country.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Sitting on just over 8 square miles, Santa Monica is hemmed in by the Pacific on one side and Los Angeles neighborhoods on three others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Below him spread the city of Bologna—a jigsaw puzzle of red-tiled buildings in a valley hemmed by green hills.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Begum, who did not give her first name, told AFP she had been turned away by many factories in Gazipur despite having experience in sewing and hemming.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

She was so thrilled by my interest that she would have handed over anything that fit, and I stayed up late hemming the dress by hand.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Enormous ring hunts depended on hemming in the prey and driving it into an ever-tightening circle, ensuring abundant kills for the king and a memorable spectacle for onlookers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

One of the themes that you pull out is that the amendment process, like mending, like hemming, was seen as a part of a natural, long progression of repair, refinement, alteration.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2025

The bone ships surged closer, hemming us in, and I looked around wildly for some way to escape.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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