beseem

American

[bih-seem] / bɪˈsim /

verb (used with object)

to be fit for or worthy of; become.

conduct that beseems a gentleman.

verb (used without object)

to be suitable or fitting.

beseem British

/ bɪˈsiːm /

verb

archaic to be suitable for; befit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unbeseeming adjective

Etymology

Origin of beseem

First recorded in 1175–1225, beseem is from the Middle English word bisemen. See be-, seem

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tell me what,-- Thou speak'st of matters which beseem thee not.

From The Banished A Swabian Historical Tale. In Three Volumes. by Hauff, Wilhelm

But now I see that thou hast not with the naming any gift to give me such as would beseem me to accept, wherefore he of us who hath must give to the other.'

From The Red True Story Book by Ford, H. J. (Henry Justice)

Those robes your character beseem; When they are worn we'll make you new.

From The Wisdom of Confucius with Critical and Biographical Sketches by Wilson, Epiphanius

Would such an experiment beseem any other place so well as the madhouse?

From The Color Line A Brief in Behalf of the Unborn by Smith, William Benjamin

His voice is a thin, asthmatic treble, sometimes inclining to be rather lachrymose; but the address and bearing of the little man are as grave and measured as beseem a Dutch merchant.

From The Prose Writings of Heinrich Heine by Heine, Heinrich

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023