Word.ws English Dictionary

can't seem

can't seem verb: seem to be unable; seem not to be able.

Verb

can't seem (third-person singular simple present can't seem, no present participle, simple past couldn't seem, no past participle)

  1. (no-past-participle, no-present-participle) Seem to be unable; seem not to be able.
    • I can't seem to lift the box alone. Would you give me a hand, please?
  2. (no-past-participle, no-present-participle) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can't, seem.
    • You can't seem bored when you're at a job interview. If you are bored, hide it!

Forms of can't seem

third-person singular presentcan't seem
pastcouldn't seem

Questions about can't seem

What does can't seem mean?
Can't seem means seem to be unable; seem not to be able.
What part of speech is can't seem?
Can't seem is a verb.
What is the past tense of can't seem?
The past tense of can't seem is couldn't seem.

Words near can't seem in the dictionary

  1. can't lie
  2. can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em
  3. can't live with them and can't live without them
  4. can't live with them, can't live without them
  5. can't park there, mate
  6. can't seem
  7. can't stand
  8. can't stand the sight of
  9. can't wait
  10. can't've
  11. can'tcha

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: can't seem (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “can't seem.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/can%27t_seem. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.