Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - seem

~ v linking verb, not in progressive) 1 to appear to be a particular thing or to have a particular quality, feeling, or attitude  (Dinah didn't seem very sure. | seem to sb)  (Larry seemed pretty angry to me. | "How did she seem to you?" "Kind of upset." | seem like)  (Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. | sb/sth seems a)  (That seems a risky thing to try. | not be what he/she/it etc seems)  (Things aren't always what they seem.) 2 to appear to exist or be true  (seem to)  (I seem to have lost my car keys. | it seems to sb (that))  (It seems to me you don't have much choice. | It seems (that)/it would seem (that))  (It would seem that someone left the building unlocked. | it seems like)  (It seems like only yesterday that Tommy was born. | it seems as if/as though)  (It seemed as though she didn't have a friend in the world. | so it seems (=it appears to be true))  ("So Bill's leaving her?" "So it seems.") 3 to appear to be happening or to be doing something  (seem to do sth)  (The rainbow seemed to end on the hillside. | seem like)  (It seemed like the whole town had come to the show.) 4 can't/couldn't seem to do sth used to say that you have tried to do something but cannot do it  (I just can't seem to get it into his head that he has to plan things better.)