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hem
1[ hem ]
verb (used with object)
- to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
- to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, or about ):
hemmed in by enemies.
noun
- an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
- the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.
- the edge, border, or margin of anything.
- Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
hem
2[ hem ]
interjection
- (an utterance resembling a slight clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc.)
noun
- the utterance or sound of “hem.â€
- a sound or pause of hesitation:
His sermon was full of hems and haws.
verb (used without object)
- to utter the sound “hem.â€
- to hesitate in speaking.
hem-
3- variant of hemo- before a vowel:
hemal.
hem-
1combining_form
- a US variant of haemo-
hem
2/ ³óÉ›³¾ /
noun
- an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down
- short for hemline
verb
- to provide with a hem
- usually foll byin, around, or about to enclose or confine
hem
3/ ³óÉ›³¾ /
noun
- a representation of the sound of clearing the throat, used to gain attention, express hesitation, etc
verb
- intr to utter this sound
- hem and haw or hum and hawto hesitate in speaking or in making a decision
51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Origin of hem2
51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Idioms and Phrases
- hem and haw,
- to hesitate or falter:
She hemmed and hawed a lot before she came to the point.
- to speak noncommittally; avoid giving a direct answer:
He hems and haws and comes out on both sides of every question.
Example Sentences
The idyll was hemmed in by immaculate office buildings housing high-profile Hollywood and tech tenants including Amazon, Oracle and AMC Networks.
Those businesses are even harder to reach, hemmed in by checkpoints on both the east and west.
Leisa Alexander, her husband and her mother-in-law scrambled into their car on Laurice Avenue, only to find themselves hemmed in on both sides on Marathon Road.
Invariably, Mitchell said, “the guy would hem and haw,†then opt for treatment.
“That's why the young people are agitating right now for change,†he says, suggesting they are frustrated by a corrupt political system that hems in their potential.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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