seams

5 definitions • 7 examples

a line where two things join, especially a line of sewing joining two pieces of cloth or leather:

The bags we sell have very strong seams, so they will last for years.

come/fall apart at the seams My old coat is coming/falling apart at the seams (= the stitches are coming out).

figurative Their marriage is coming/falling apart at the seams (= likely to fail).

in cricket and baseball, the raised join where the leather piece that cover the ball are sewn together, which can be used to affect the movement of the ball in the air, or, in cricket, after it hits the ground:

The direction in which the seam faces when held in the bowler's hand affects how the ball behaves.

The ball jagged back sharply off the seam and trapped him lbw.

a long, thin layer of a substance such as coal that has formed between layers of other rocks

a line where two things join, esp. where two pieces of cloth or other material have been sewn together:

My jacket came apart at the back seam.

a long, thin layer of rock or another substance that formed between layers of other rocks:

a coal seam