seem
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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.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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 |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| 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"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" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" 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" 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" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
zdát sevypadat
synesvirke
näyttäätuntuavaikuttaa joltakin
činiti se
látszik
virîast, sÿnast
ように思われる
보이다
izskatītiesšķist
zdeti se
verka
ดูเหมือน
görünmekgözükmek
dường như
seem
[ˈsiːm] vi (= give impression) → sembler, avoir l'air
She seems tired → Elle semble fatiguée., Elle a l'air fatigué.
The shop seemed to be closed → Le magasin semblait fermé., Le magasin avait l'air d'être fermé.
He seemed nice enough → Il semblait assez gentil., Il avait l'air assez gentil.
to seem to be ...
You seem to be very interested → Vous semblez très intéressé., Vous avez l'air très intéressé.
to seem like ...
That seems like a good idea → Cela semble une bonne idée.
She seems tired → Elle semble fatiguée., Elle a l'air fatigué.
The shop seemed to be closed → Le magasin semblait fermé., Le magasin avait l'air d'être fermé.
He seemed nice enough → Il semblait assez gentil., Il avait l'air assez gentil.
to seem to be ...
You seem to be very interested → Vous semblez très intéressé., Vous avez l'air très intéressé.
to seem like ...
That seems like a good idea → Cela semble une bonne idée.
(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?
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.
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.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
seem
vi
(= 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] vi → sembrare, parereshe seems capable → sembra (essere) in gamba
he seemed to be in difficulty → sembrava (trovarsi) in difficoltà
she seems to know you → sembra or pare che lei ti conosca
she seems not to want to leave → non dà segno di voler andar via
I seemed to be sinking → mi sembrava di affondare
I seem to have heard that before → questa mi pare di averla già sentita
I can't seem to do it → a quanto pare non ci riesco
how did he seem to you? → come ti è sembrato?
it seems (that) ... → sembra or pare che...+ sub
so it seems → così pare or sembra
it seems not → pare di no
it seems you're right → pare che tu abbia ragione
it seems ages since ... → mi sembra una vita da quando...
what seems to be the trouble? → cosa c'è che non va?
there seems to be a mistake → ci dev'essere un errore, sembra or pare che ci sia un errore
she died yesterday, it seems → pare che sia morta ieri
I did what seemed best → ho fatto quello che sembrava più opportuno
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
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.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
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Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009