What does "hem" mean?
An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
Hem
/hɛm/ intj, name, noun, pron, verb
intj, name, noun, pron, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
- Grammar: hem is listed as intj, name, noun, pron, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adjoin, ahem, bank, bar.
- Useful contrasts: center, decide, interior.
- Usage evidence: I need you to take in the hem by about an inch.
How to use "hem"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hem" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hem" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hem" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hem" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hem" is acting as intj, name, noun, pron, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adjoin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hem", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
"his morning hems"
- 2 The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
- 3 the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down wordnet
- 4 A rim or margin of something.
"Entombed upon the very hem o' th' sea"
- 5 the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc. wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity.
Verb
- 1 To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
"Hem, and stroke thy beard."
- 2 To make a hem. intransitive
- 3 utter ‘hem’ or ‘ahem’ wordnet
- 4 To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something. transitive
- 5 fold over and sew together to provide with a hem wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To shut in, enclose, confine; to surround something or someone in a confining way. transitive
"A small yard hemmed about by a tall hedge."
Intj
- 1 Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
Pronoun
- 1 Obsolete form of 'em. alt-of, obsolete
"And wente to the kinge and to the queene, and said to hem with a glad cheer."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"I need you to take in the hem by about an inch."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hem"?
Common synonyms include: adjoin, ahem, bank, bar, beading, befringe.
How do you use "hem" in a sentence?
I need you to take in the hem by about an inch.
How do you pronounce "hem"?
Pronounced /hɛm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
Etymology 2
From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hem, of West Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *hammjan from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną. Related to Middle High German hemmen (“to hem in”), Old Norse hemja (“to hem in, restrain”); outside of Germanic, to Armenian քամել (kʻamel, “to press, wring”), Russian ком (kom, “lump”). The verb is from Middle English hemmen, from Old English hemman, from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną, or alternatively derived from the noun.
Etymology 3
From Middle English hem, from Old English heom (“them”, dative), originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well. More at 'em.
Etymology 4
From Khmer ហែម (haem, “to add, to supplement”).