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

The group is finished off with Public School’s Air Jordan 12 Retro collaboration from 2017 in Wheat, which resembles the New York staple Timberland Premium 6-Inch Waterproof Boot. —Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 June 2026

The most successful creators increasingly resemble media companies rather than influencers. —Ian Shepherd, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

The cycle resembled theoretical versions of a Big Bang followed by a Big Crunch, a scenario in which the universe’s expansion eventually reverses. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026

My blacktop contains stones that range in size from BBs to ones that resemble large cashews. —Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026

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