hem
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hehmIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɛm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
sewing
The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
The edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
“The hem of her dress was stained.”
In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity.
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.
An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
A rim or margin of something.
verb
transitive
To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something.
sewingintransitive
Utter `hem' or `ahem'
sewingintransitive
Fold over and sew together to provide with a hem
sewingintransitive
To make a hem.
sewingintransitive
To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
transitive
To shut in, enclose, confine; to surround something or someone in a confining way.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (sewing) The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
Used this way, hem is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hem
- “The hem of her dress was stained.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.