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.
This rashguard is made for the surf with its connector at the front hem to link it to board shorts and a clutch pocket with key loop.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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
The asymmetry of the cut, however, sounded a note of continuation: Ivanka wore a white Oscar de la Renta jacket with an asymmetric handkerchief hem for inauguration day in 2017.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2025
They fanned their wings in slow motion as they made their way up her long, pale dress from the hem up to her neckline, forming an intricate floral pattern.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Mary Quant sold her first hem- and eyebrow-raising miniskirts.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2013
Minetree has "cracking comic timing", the Independent said, but appeared to be "hemmed in by the Reese Witherspoon impression she's presumably been told to do".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Any new tool needs to be easily triggered, avoiding the lengthy arguments among capitals that have hemmed in European action in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
It startled her, that Obinzes mother, fully hemmed into her self-containment, her intense privacy, could cry watching a film.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
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
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.
