Hem

/hɛm/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A hem is a the edge of a piece of cloth or clothing that has been turned under and sewn, often to prevent fraying.

She decided to add a decorative hem to the bottom of her dress.

The hem refers to the folded and sewn edge of a fabric material.

Make sure to iron the hem before sewing it permanently.

verb

To hem means to sew the edge of a piece of cloth or clothing to prevent it from unraveling.

I need to hem these pants because they are too long.

To hem can also mean to enclose or confine.

The tall buildings hemmed in the small park, casting shadows on the grass.

Middle English 'hem', from Old English 'hæmm', related to the action of hemstitching or turning under fabric.

hem and haw

To be indecisive or hesitate in making a decision.

hem in

To enclose or confine within limits.

to hem something up

To finish the edges of material or fabric.

hems

Plural form referring to multiple edges or finished borders.

hemmed

Past tense indicating something has been sewn or finished.

A hesitation sound, similar to 'uh' or 'um'.

When he was asked, he just said 'hem...' before answering.

To confine or restrict.

They felt hemmed in by all the rules.