seem
Americanverb (used without object)
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seems,
present (3rd person singular)
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seemed,
past participle, past
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seeming
present participle
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to appear to be, feel, do, etc..
She seems better this morning.
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to appear to one's own senses, mind, observation, judgment, etc..
It seems to me that someone is calling.
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to appear to exist.
There seems no need to go now.
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to appear to be true, probable, or evident.
It seems likely to rain.
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to give the outward appearance of being or to pretend to be.
He only seems friendly because he wants you to like him.
verb
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(copula) to appear to the mind or eye; look
this seems nice
the car seems to be running well
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to give the impression of existing; appear to be
there seems no need for all this nonsense
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used to diminish the force of a following infinitive to be polite, more noncommittal, etc
I can't seem to get through to you
Synonym Usage
Seem, appear, look refer to an outward aspect that may or may not be contrary to reality. Seem is applied to something that has an aspect of truth and probability: It seems warmer today. Appear suggests the giving of an impression that may be superficial or illusory: The house appears to be deserted. Look more vividly suggests the use of the eye (literally or figuratively) or the aspect as perceived by the eye: She looked very much frightened.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seemsimple
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seemssimple
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have seemedperfect
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has seemedperfect
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am seemingprogressive
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are seemingprogressive
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is seemingprogressive
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have been seemingperfect progressive
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has been seemingperfect progressive
Past
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seemedsimple
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had seemedperfect
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was seemingprogressive
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were seemingprogressive
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had been seemingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of seem
First recorded before 1150–1200; Middle English seme, from Old Norse sœma “to befit, beseem,” derivative of sœmr “fitting, seemly”; akin to sōmi “honor”
Explanation
Seem means "to give a certain impression," usually by physical appearance like your messy hair and wrinkled clothing that made it seem like you just rolled out of bed. The verb seem has several definitions. It can mean "to be apparent, or probable," like the nice person you just met who seems like he'll make a good friend. Seem can also mean "to appear to exist," like when heat shimmering on pavement makes it seem like there is a puddle on the road. The word comes from the Old Norse word soema meaning "to befit, conform to."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I could slide it and probably see, but I feel like if it doesn’t go into the same shape or the same place, it wouldn’t seem right.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
And this is something that Arteta does not seem to be happy about, saying: "that's something else, not to discuss here".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
"And for sleep health, frequency does seem to matter."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
The share price falls for Societe Generale, UniCredit, BNP Paribas and CaixaBank seem particularly hard to justify, Citi adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
He didn’t seem antsy to rush over to the Picnic, hoping to catch the nonexistent Fireball game.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Miss Danielle seems like the right choice to audition for because the role is age-appropriate, and Mona wants to be included however she can be.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Narayan on Monday warned that "it seems likely, if not inevitable, that our own cyber defences will be breached".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
It’s the kind of Hollywood support that implies an Oscar nomination is still on the table, even if the possibility of a win seems more difficult now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
It seems odd that Oracle and Broadcom have seen their stocks plunge while Nvidia’s has held up.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Apparently he wasn’t very good at getting along with the chickens on their farm; seems he saw them more as prey than his farm friends.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
At the start of the year it seemed unthinkable that anybody other than Sinner or Alcaraz would finish it as world number one.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The customer seemed irritated that the answer required any effort on her part.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
On a busy, sunny weekend close to Okinawa's capital Naha, life seemed normal as tourists and Americans who appeared to be from the military packed beaches and shopping streets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Everything I thought I wanted to say about war in ‘Devil’s Backbone’ seemed obsolete, because we had gone through 9/11 and the world had changed,” Del Toro recalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
It was yet another cerulean whirlpool, though it seemed to swirl more fervently than the others.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The humor comes from their passions not seeming worthy of the level of seriousness with which they pursue them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
All conductors struggle with the contents of such inaugural bills, wanting them to shine a spotlight without seeming self-aggrandizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The men dug through his files, seeming to know there was cash somewhere in the safe.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
But he stayed throughout the hearing, which lasted one hour and 15 minutes, showing no emotion and seeming to follow proceedings through headphones.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Pardon the seeming paradox; I mean what I say.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
