seem
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
seems;
seemed;
seeming
seems;
seemed;
seeming
Britannica Dictionary definition of SEEM
[linking verb]
1
:
to appear to be something or to do something
:
to have a quality, appearance, etc., that shows or suggests a particular characteristic, feeling, etc.
— often followed by to + verb
— often used in the phrases seem like, seem as if, and seem as though
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She seemed happy.
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He didn't seem interested.
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Their request seems reasonable/strange.
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What they're doing doesn't seem right to me.
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The letter seems important.
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Her story seems true.
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Her story seems to be true.
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She seems to know our secret. [=I have the feeling/impression that she knows our secret]
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He didn't seem to remember that part of the story.
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He seems like a nice man. = He seems (to be) a nice man.
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We waited for what seemed like hours.
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Buying a new car seemed like a good idea at the time.
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It seemed as if/though the work would never end.
2
— used with it to make a statement about what appears to be true based on what is known
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It seems (that) they forgot about the meeting.
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The concert will not take place, it seems.
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“Are we on schedule?” “So it seems.” [=yes, I think that we are on schedule]
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They are very rude, or so it seems (to me).
3
— used to make a statement less definite or more polite
— followed by to + verb
— often used in negative statements
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I seem to remember that you said you'd help me.
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I can't seem to solve the problem. [=I have tried to solve the problem, but I can't]
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I couldn't seem to hit the ball straight.
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What seems to be the problem? [=what is the problem?]
