resemble

verb

re·​sem·​ble ri-ˈzem-bəl 

resembled; resembling ri-ˈzem-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to be like or similar to

he resembles his father

2

archaic : to represent as like

Examples of resemble in a Sentence

He strongly resembles his father in appearance and in temperament.

Terrier dogs closely resemble each other.

Recent Examples on the Web

My Packing Regrets On more than one occasion, my assorted cords and charging cubes resembled a tangle of noodles at the bottom of my travel bag. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2025

The haunted venue has been recreated to resemble the iconic façade through which guests enter. —Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Those hires, accompanied by frenzied rumors, have turned the once obscure competition over AI researchers into something that better resembles professional sports free agency. —Sam Jacobs, Time, 28 Aug. 2025

Wearing a T-shirt, flannel and jeans, his frizzy hair poking from under the back and sides of a train-conductor cap, Young resembled his late-middle-aged self save for a noticeably paunchier belly, whiter sideburns and craggier face. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English resemblen, rasemblen "to be like, compare," borrowed from Anglo-French resembler, rasembler "to be like, appear to be, compare (to)" (also continental Old French), from re- re- + sembler "to look like, seem to be" — more at semblance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for resemble

• semble
• tremble
• assemble
• dissemble
• disassemble
• reassemble

Kids Definition

resemble

verb

re·​sem·​ble ri-ˈzem-bəl 

resembled; resembling -b(ə-)liŋ 

: to be like or similar to

he resembles his father