hem

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hem /h'em/ (hems hemming hemmed)
1 [N-COUNT]
A hem on something such as a piece of clothing is an edge that is folded over and stitched down to prevent threads coming loose. The hem of a skirt or dress is the bottom edge.
2 [VERB] V n
If you hem something, you form a hem along its edge.
Turn under and hem the outer edges...
3
hem and haw: see hawhem in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] usu passive, be V-ed P by n
If a place is hemmed in by mountains or by other places, it is surrounded by them.
Manchester is hemmed in by greenbelt countryside and by housing and industrial areas...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] be V-ed P by n, also V n P
If someone is hemmed in or if someone hems them in, they are prevented from moving or changing, for example because they are surrounded by people or obstacles.
The company's competitors complain that they are hemmed in by rigid legal contracts.

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