ENGLISH
REFERENCE

deem

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈdim// UK //dˈiːm// deem Archaic

v. to have a specific opinion about something or to judge it in a certain way. You use this when you make a formal decision about whether something is good, bad, or necessary.

v. to consider or judge something in a specified way. Transitive; frequently used in the passive voice to express an official or collective opinion.


SIMPLE

The committee will deem the project successful if it meets the deadline.

CONTEXTUAL

The local authorities may deem the building unsafe for habitation if the structural repairs are not completed by winter.

COMPLEX

While the initial proposal was rejected, the board may yet deem the revised strategy worthy of investment provided the projected returns remain stable.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English dēmen (“to judge; to criticize, condemn; to impose a penalty on, sentence; to direct, order; to believe, think, deem”), from Old English dēman (“to decide, decree, deem”), from Proto-West Germanic dōmijan, from Proto-Germanic dōmijaną (“to judge, think”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to set, put”). The word is cognate with Danish and Norwegian Bokmål dømme (“to judge”), Dutch doemen (“to condemn, foredoom”), North Frisian dema (“to judge, recognise”), Norwegian Nynorsk døma (“to judge”), Swedish döma (“to judge, sentence, condemn”), Finnish tuomita (“to judge”). It is also related to doom.

Etymology 2

From Middle English deme, from the verb (see above).

Usage

The verb is transitive and often followed by an object and an adjective (e.g., 'deem it necessary').

Pitfall

they deem it as necessarythey deem it necessaryUnlike 'regard' or 'describe', 'deem' does not take the word 'as' before the adjective or noun complement.

© 2026 English Reference