verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈsiːm/
[ˈsɪi̯m]
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈsɪjm/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːm
homophone: seam
homophone: seme
CMU ARPABET:S IY1 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: copulative
Examples
She is seeming a bit down these days. Her eyes seem blue. It must have seemed to her she was safe. How'd she seem to you? He seems not to be at home. "It seems like rain". "It seems to me (to be) rather sleety."; "There seem to be a few problems."
It seems a pity, but I can't see you this weekend.
1813 (14thc.), Dante Alighieri, The Vision of Hell as translated by The Rev. H. F. Cary. He, from his face removing the gross air, / Oft his left hand forth stretch'd, and seem'd alone / By that annoyance wearied.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To befit; to beseem.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
She seems to be sleeping
This appears to be a very difficult problem
This project looks fishy
They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time
It appears that the weather in California is very bad
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: appear
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: be
Narrower terms: seem
5
verb
Meaning 5
appear to one's own mind or opinion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
I seem to be misunderstood by everyone
I can't seem to learn these Chinese characters
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: appear, seem
6
verb
Meaning 6
appear to exist
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
There seems no reason to go ahead with the project now
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: be
History
Etymology
From Middle English semen (“to seem, befit, be becoming”), from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to, beseem, befit”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to unite, fit”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; whole”). Cognate with Scots seme (“to be fitting; beseem”), Danish sømme (“to beseem”), Old Swedish søma, Faroese søma (“to be proper”). Related also to Old Norse sómi (“honour”) ( > archaic Danish somme (“decent comportment”)), Old Norse sœmr (“fitting, seemly”), Old English sēman (“to reconcile, bring an agreement”), Old English sōm (“agreement”).
Across languages
Translations
118 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
بَدَا
(badā)
— to appear
Arabic:
ظَهَرَ
(ẓahara)
— to appear
Armenian:
թվալ
(tʻval)
— to appear
Aromanian:
par
— to appear
Asturian:
paecer
— to appear
Azerbaijani:
görünmək
— to appear
Basque:
iruditu
— to appear
Belarusian:
здава́цца
(zdavácca)
— to appear
Bulgarian:
изглеждам
(izgleždam)
— to appear
Bulgarian:
струвам се
(struvam se)
— to appear
Catalan:
semblar
— to appear
Catalan:
parèixer
— to appear
Chickasaw:
ahooba
— to appear
Chickasaw:
chihmi
— to appear
Chinese Mandarin:
好像
(hǎoxiàng)
— to appear
Chinese Mandarin:
顯得 /显得
(xiǎnde)
— to appear
Chinese Mandarin:
看上去
(kàn shàngqù)
— to appear
Chinese Mandarin:
看起來 /看起来
(kànqilai)
— to appear
Chinese Mandarin:
看樣子 /看样子
(kànyàngzi)
— to appear
Choctaw:
ahoba
— to appear
Czech:
zdát se
— to appear
Danish:
synes
— to appear
Dutch:
lijken
— to appear
Dutch:
schijnen
— to appear
Esperanto:
ŝajni
— to appear
Ewe:
dze
— to appear
Finnish:
näyttää
— to appear
Finnish:
tuntua
— to appear
Finnish:
vaikuttaa
— to appear
French:
sembler
— to appear
French:
paraître
— to appear
French:
avoir l'air
— to appear
Old French:
sanbler
— to appear
Old French:
sembler
— to appear
Old French:
sambler
— to appear
Old French:
senbler
— to appear
West-Frisian:
lykje
— to appear
Friulian:
parê
— to appear
Galician:
parecer
— to appear
Galician:
semellar
— to appear
Georgian:
ჩანს
(čans)
— to appear
German:
scheinen
— to appear
German:
dünken
— to appear
German:
vorkommen
— to appear
Gothic:
𐌲𐌰𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽
(gaumjan)
— to appear
Greek:
φαίνομαι
(faínomai)
— to appear
Ancient Greek:
φαίνομαι
(phaínomai)
— to appear
Ancient Greek:
δοκέω
(dokéō)
— to appear
Ancient Greek:
εἴδομαι
(eídomai)
— to appear
Ancient Greek:
ἔοικα
(éoika)
— to appear
Haitian Creole:
sanble
— to appear
Hebrew:
נראה
(nir'á)
— to appear
Hindi:
लगना
(lagnā)
— to appear
Hindi:
दिखना
(dikhnā)
— to appear
Hungarian:
látszik
— to appear
Hungarian:
tűnik
— to appear
Icelandic:
virðast
— to appear
Ido:
semblar
— to appear
Interlingua:
parer
— to appear
Irish:
taibhsigh
— to appear
Italian:
sembrare
— to appear
Italian:
parere
— to appear
Italian:
apparire
— to appear
Japanese:
...らしい
(...rashii)
— to appear
Japanese:
...そう
(...-sō)
— to appear
Japanese:
...ように見える
(...yō-ni mieru)
— to appear
Khmer:
ហាក់ដូចជា
(hak dooc cie)
— to appear
Korean:
보이다
(boida)
— to appear
Korean:
~인 것 같다
— to appear
Central Kurdish:
دیارە
(dyare)
— to appear
Central Kurdish:
وا دیارە
(wa dyare)
— to appear
Latin:
videor
— to appear
Macedonian:
изгледа
(izgleda)
— to appear
Macedonian:
се чини
(se čini)
— to appear
Māori:
ngia
— to appear
Norman:
semblier
— to appear
Norman:
pathaître
— to appear
Norwegian Bokmål:
synes
— to appear
Occitan:
paréisser
— to appear
Old English:
þyncan
— to appear
Persian:
به نظر رسیدن
(be nazar residan)
— to appear
Persian:
به نظر آمدن
(be nazar âmadan)
— to appear
