Seem

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Seem, v. i. [OE. semen to seem, to become, befit, AS. sēman to satisfy, pacify; akin to Icel. sæma to honor, to bear with, conform to, sæmr becoming, fit, sōma to beseem, to befit, sama to beseem, semja to arrange, settle, put right, Goth. samjan to please, and to E. same. The sense is probably due to the adj. seemly. Same, a., and cf. Seemly.].

 To appear, or to appear to be; to have a show or semblance; to present an appearance; to look; to strike one's apprehension or fancy as being; to be taken as.  Macaulay.  [1913 Webster]
"Thou picture of what thou seem'st."  [1913 Webster]
"All seemed well pleased; all seemed, but were not all."  [1913 Webster]
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death."  [1913 Webster]
"A prince of Italy, it seems, entertained his mistress on a great lake."  [1913 Webster]
"Ham. Ay, madam, it is common.
Queen. If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee?
Ham. Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not “seems.”"  [1913 Webster]

It seems, it appears; it is understood as true; it is said.

Syn. -- To appear; look.

Seem, v. t. 

 To befit; to beseem.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Seem, v.intr.
1 give the impression or sensation of being (seems ridiculous; seems certain to win).
2 (foll. by to + infin.) appear or be perceived or ascertained (he seems to be breathing; they seem to have left).

Idiom

can't seem to colloq. seem unable to. do not seem to colloq. somehow do not (I do not seem to like him). it seems (or would seem) (often foll. by that + clause) it appears to be true or the fact (in a hesitant, guarded, or ironical statement).

Etymology

ME f. ON soema honour f. soemr fitting

THESAURUS

Seem

ape, appear, appear like, approach, approximate, be like, be redolent of, bear resemblance, bring to mind, call to mind, call up, come close, come near, compare with, copy, correspond, counterfeit, evoke, favor, feel, follow, hint, imitate, imply, insinuate, intimate, look, look like, match, mimic, mirror, near, nearly reproduce, not tell apart, parallel, partake of, remind one of, resemble, savor of, seem like, seem to be, simulate, smack of, sound, sound like, stack up with, suggest, take after

ROGET THESAURUS

Seem

Appearance

VB appear, be visible, become visible, seem, look, show, present the appearance of, wear the appearance of, carry the appearance of, have the appearance of, bear the appearance of, exhibit the appearance of, take the appearance of, take on the appearance of, assume the appearance, present the semblance of, wear the semblance of, carry the semblance of, have the semblance of, bear the semblance of, exhibit the semblance of, take the semblance of, take on the semblance of, assume the semblance of, look like, cut a figure, figure, present to the view, show.