seem

(sēm)

intr.v. seemed, seem·ing, seems

1. To give the impression of being in a certain way; appear to be: The child seems healthy, but the doctor is concerned. The house seems to be in good condition.

2. Used to call attention to one's impression or understanding about something, especially in weakening the force of a following infinitive: I can't seem to get the story straight.

3. To appear to be probable or evident: It seems you object to the plan. It seems like rain.

[Middle English semen, from Old Norse sœma, to conform to, from sœmr, fitting; see sem- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

seem

(siːm)

vb (may take an infinitive)

1. (copula) to appear to the mind or eye; look: this seems nice; the car seems to be running well.

2. to give the impression of existing; appear to be: there seems no need for all this nonsense.

3. used to diminish the force of a following infinitive to be polite, more noncommittal, etc: I can't seem to get through to you.

[C12: perhaps from Old Norse soma to beseem, from sœmr befitting; related to Old English sēman to reconcile; see same]

ˈseemer n

Usage: See at like¹

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

seem

(sim)

v.i.

1. to appear to be, feel, do, etc.

2. to appear to one's own senses, judgment, etc.

3. to appear to be true or probable: It seems likely to rain.

4. to appear or pretend to be such: to seem friendly.

[1150–1200; Middle English seme < Old Norse sŒma to befit, beseem, derivative of sŒmr fitting, seemly]

syn: 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 frightened.

seem

You use seem to say that someone or something gives a particular impression.

1. used with adjectives

Seem is usually followed by an adjective. If someone gives the impression of being happy, you can say that they seem happy. You can also say that they seem to be happy. There is no difference in meaning.

Even minor problems seem important.

You seem to be very interested.

If the adjective is a non-gradable adjective such as alone or alive, you usually use seem to be. For example, you say 'He seemed to be alone'. You don't say 'He seemed alone'.

She seemed to be asleep.

In order to say who has an impression of someone or something, use seem followed by an adjective and the preposition to.

He always seemed old to me.

This idea seems ridiculous to most people.

2. used with noun phrases

Instead of an adjective, you can use a noun phrase after seem or seem to be. For example, instead of saying 'She seemed nice', you can say 'She seemed a nice person' or 'She seemed to be a nice person'. In conversation and in less formal writing, people often say 'She seemed like a nice person'.

It seemed a long time before the food came.

She seems to be a very good boss.

It seemed like a good idea.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'as' after seem. Don't say, for example, 'It seemed as a good idea'.

If the noun phrase contains a determiner such as the or a but not an adjective, you must use seemed to be. For example, say 'He seemed to be the owner of the car'. Don't say 'He seemed the owner of the car'.

At first the seal seemed to be a rock.

What seems to be the trouble?

3. used with verbs

You can use other to-infinitives besides 'to be' after seem. For example, you can say 'He seemed to need help'. You can also say 'It seemed that he needed help' or 'It seemed as though he needed help'.

The experiments seem to prove that sugar is bad for you.

It seemed to me that she was right.

It seemed as though the war had ended.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

seem

Past participle: seemed
Gerund: seeming

Imperative
seem
seem

Present
I seem
you seem
he/she/it seems
we seem
you seem
they seem

Preterite
I seemed
you seemed
he/she/it seemed
we seemed
you seemed
they seemed

Present Continuous
I am seeming
you are seeming
he/she/it is seeming
we are seeming
you are seeming
they are seeming

Present Perfect
I have seemed
you have seemed
he/she/it has seemed
we have seemed
you have seemed
they have seemed

Past Continuous
I was seeming
you were seeming
he/she/it was seeming
we were seeming
you were seeming
they were seeming

Past Perfect
I had seemed
you had seemed
he/she/it had seemed
we had seemed
you had seemed
they had seemed

Future
I will seem
you will seem
he/she/it will seem
we will seem
you will seem
they will seem

Future Perfect
I will have seemed
you will have seemed
he/she/it will have seemed
we will have seemed
you will have seemed
they will have seemed

Future Continuous
I will be seeming
you will be seeming
he/she/it will be seeming
we will be seeming
you will be seeming
they will be seeming

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been seeming
you have been seeming
he/she/it has been seeming
we have been seeming
you have been seeming
they have been seeming

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been seeming
you will have been seeming
he/she/it will have been seeming
we will have been seeming
you will have been seeming
they will have been seeming

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been seeming
you had been seeming
he/she/it had been seeming
we had been seeming
you had been seeming
they had been seeming

Conditional
I would seem
you would seem
he/she/it would seem
we would seem
you would seem
they would seem

Past Conditional
I would have seemed
you would have seemed
he/she/it would have seemed
we would have seemed
you would have seemed
they would have seemed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	seem - give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect; "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" appear, look make - appear to begin an activity; "He made to speak but said nothing in the end"; "She made as if to say hello to us" cut - give the appearance or impression of; "cut a nice figure" feel - produce a certain impression; "It feels nice to be home again" pass off - be accepted as something or somebody in a false character or identity; "She passed off as a Russian agent" sound - appear in a certain way; "This sounds interesting" come across - be perceived in a certain way; make a certain impression glow, radiate, beam, shine - have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink; "Her face glowed when she came out of the sauna" gleam, glint, glisten, glitter, shine - be shiny, as if wet; "His eyes were glistening" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" jump out, leap out, stand out, stick out, jump - be highly noticeable rear, rise, lift - rise up; "The building rose before them" loom - come into view indistinctly, often threateningly; "Another air plane loomed into the sky" feel - be felt or perceived in a certain way; "The ground feels shaky"; "The sheets feel soft"
	2.	seem - seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad" appear seem - appear to one's own mind or opinion; "I seem to be misunderstood by everyone"; "I can't seem to learn these Chinese characters" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
	3.	seem - appear to exist; "There seems no reason to go ahead with the project now" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
	4.	seem - appear to one's own mind or opinion; "I seem to be misunderstood by everyone"; "I can't seem to learn these Chinese characters" seem, appear - seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad"

seem

verb appear, give the impression of being, look, sound, look to be, show signs of being, sound as if you are, look as if you are, come across as being, look like you are, strike you as being, have the or every appearance of being Everyone seems busy except us.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

seem

verb

To have the appearance of:

Idiom: strike one as (being).

Translations

zdát sevypadat

synesvirke

näyttäätuntuavaikuttaa joltakin

činiti se

látszik

virîast, sÿnast

ように思われる

보이다

izskatītiesšķist

zdeti se

verka

ดูเหมือน

dường như

seem

[ˈsiːm] vi

(impersonal use) → sembler
it seems (that) ... (= it looks like) → il semble que ...
It seems that they want to leave.; It seems they want to leave → Il semble qu'ils veuillent partir. (= people say) → il paraît que ...
It seems she's getting married.; It seems that she's getting married → Il paraît qu'elle va se marier.
it seems as if ...
It seemed as if she'd been gone forever → On aurait dit qu'elle était partie depuis une éternité.
it seems to me that ... → il me semble que ...
there seems to be ... → il semble qu'il y ait ..., on dirait qu'il y a ...
There seems to be a problem → On dirait qu'il y a un problème.
There don't seem to be many people on campus today → Il semble qu'il n'y ait pas grand monde sur le campus aujourd'hui., On dirait qu'il n'y a pas grand monde sur le campus aujourd'hui.
what seems to be the trouble? → qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?

(to describe one's own feelings or thoughts)
I seem to have lost all my self-confidence → Il semble que j'ai perdu toute ma confiance en moi.
I can't seem to do anything right → Je n'arrive pas à faire quoi que ce soit de bien.
I just couldn't seem to help myself → Je n'arrivais vraiment pas à m'en empêcher.

seem

(= appear) → scheinen; he seems (to be) honest/a nice young man → er scheint ehrlich/ein netter junger Mann zu sein; he seemed nice enough → er schien ganz nett (zu sein); he may seem poor but … → er mag arm scheinen or wirken, aber …; he seems younger than he is → er wirkt jünger, als er ist; that makes it seem longer → dadurch wirkt es länger or kommt es einem länger vor; he doesn’t seem (to be) able to concentrate → er scheint sich nicht konzentrieren zu können; he is not what he seems (to be) → er ist nicht (das), was er zu sein scheint; things aren’t always what they seem → vieles ist anders, als es aussieht; I seem to have heard that before → das habe ich doch schon mal gehört; what seems to be the trouble? → worum geht es denn?; (doctor) → was kann ich für Sie tun?; there seems to be no solution → da scheint es keine Lösung zu geben; it seems to me that I’ll have to do that again → mir scheint, ich muss das noch einmal machen; he has left, it seems → er ist anscheinend weggegangen, es scheint, er ist weggegangen; we are not welcome, it seems → wir sind anscheinend or scheinbar nicht willkommen; so it seems → es sieht (ganz) so aus; he is, so it seems, … → er scheint … zu sein; it seems or would seem that he is coming after all → es sieht so aus, als ob er doch noch kommt, es scheint, er kommt doch noch; it doesn’t seem that he’ll be coming → es sieht nicht so aus, als ob er kommt; if it seems right to you → wenn Sie es für richtig halten; it seems or would seem (to be) advisable → das scheint ratsam (zu sein); how does it seem to you? → was meinen SIE?; how did she seem to you? → wie fandst du sie?; it seems a shame to leave it unfinished → es ist doch irgendwie or eigentlich schade, das nicht fertig zu machen; it just doesn’t seem right somehow → das ist doch irgendwie nicht richtig; it would seem that … → es scheint fast so, als ob …; I can’t seem to do it → ich kann das anscheinend or scheinbar or irgendwie nicht

it only seems like it → das kommt einem nur so vor; I seem to be floating in space → es kommt mir so vor, als ob ich schweben würde; it all seems so unreal to him/me → es kommt ihm/mir alles so unwirklich vor; I seem to remember that you had that problem before → es kommt mir so vor, als hätten Sie das Problem schon einmal gehabt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

seem

(siːm) verb

to have the appearance or give the impression of being or doing. A thin person always seems (to be) taller than he really is; She seems kind; He seemed to hesitate for a minute.

ˈseeming adjective

existing in appearance, though not usually in reality. her seeming indifference.

ˈseemingly adverb

apparently; according to report. Seemingly, her mother is very ill.

ˈseemly adjective

(negative unseemly) (of behaviour etc) suitable, proper or decent. seemly conduct.

seem

→ يَبْدو zdát se synes scheinen φαίνομαι parecer vaikuttaa joltakin sembler činiti se sembrare ように思われる 보이다 schijnen synes wydać się parecer казаться verka ดูเหมือน görünmek dường như 似乎