What does seam mean?
A seam is a line where two edges or pieces meet, especially in fabric, leather, or sewn garments. It can also refer more broadly to a crack or narrow line in rock, wood, soil, or another material. As a verb, seam means to join or stitch pieces together. The word is common in sewing and tailoring, where precise seams affect the strength, appearance, and construction of a garment. In everyday figurative use, a seam can represent a boundary, division, or weakness between people, places, or ideas. Seams may be deliberately hidden and made strong, as in clothing, or left visible as a feature of craftsmanship. The related adjective seamless describes something made without an obvious join, and it can also suggest a smooth, uninterrupted transition.
A line or narrow join where two pieces of material meet, especially in clothing or other sewn goods. It can also mean a crack or narrow line in a natural material.
"The seam of the bag was reinforced with strong thread."
The sewing and textile sense is dominant in everyday use; the natural-crack sense is common in geology and related subjects.
To join or stitch together pieces of material by forming a seam.
"The worker seamed the two panels together before adding the lining."
This use is most often associated with sewing, tailoring, leatherwork, and other crafts.
The plural seams is used for multiple lines or joins in material and for multiple cracks or divisions in a surface.
"The old jacket had several seams that had begun to fray."
A seam can be the strongest part of a garment or the place where it quietly gives way, which is why sewing traditions often emphasize both strength and neatness.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of seam
The word comes from Old English sēam, meaning a join or the edge where two pieces meet. It belongs to a Germanic word family that includes German Saum and Dutch zoom, both referring to a seam or edge. In the verb form, the word developed the meaning of joining or sewing together material along such a line.
Related word forms
How seam is actually used
In everyday use, seam most often refers to the join in fabric or clothing. In geology and related fields, it can describe a crack or mineral-bearing line in rock.
Easily confused with seam
A seam is a physical join between pieces of material, while seem means to appear or give an impression.
A seam is the line where material joins, while seep means to leak or flow slowly through a gap.