seethe
Americanverb (used without object)
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to surge or foam as if boiling.
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to be in a state of agitation or excitement.
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Archaic. to boil.
verb (used with object)
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to soak or steep.
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to cook by boiling or simmering; boil.
noun
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the act of seething.
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the state of being agitated or excited.
verb
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(intr) to boil or to foam as if boiling
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(intr) to be in a state of extreme agitation, esp through anger
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(tr) to soak in liquid
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archaic (tr) to cook or extract the essence of (a food) by boiling
noun
Related Words
See boil 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seethe
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sēothan; cognate with German sieden, Swedish sjuda
Explanation
If a liquid seethes, it is boiling, but if it's a person who's seething, watch out! He or she is really angry! In the cooking sense, to seethe means to "boil" and if you are seething with anger, you might say that your blood is boiling. However seethe can also mean "filled with activity." Imagine a room seething with excited people. Now imagine that you are watching that room from a balcony. See how the people move here and there? It's almost as if they are bubbling around.
Vocabulary lists containing seethe
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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The Hate U Give
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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.
As Mira and Edgar tentatively approach discussion of the breach in the family, it’s primarily Beckett who begins to seethe with anger at what happened—and what didn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
U.S. consumers over the border will seethe with envy.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
People are right to seethe over the stranglehold film and TV franchises have on the industry.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025
Fans were overjoyed to seethe five Spice Girls back together for the first time in years, with many commenting on Beckham's post.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2024
If you only knew, Kitty, how I seethe when they scold and mock me.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
