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

On another monitor, a dashboard that resembles the menu screen of a flight simulator flickers to life — only this is no simulation. —Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026

Police reported finding an airsoft gun in Cruz's vehicle that resembled a real firearm. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 7 June 2026

The immensity of the body of water, which resembles an 186-mile vericose vein snaking across southern Utah, is difficult to comprehend or convey. —Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026

Rhys wanted Nile’s propensity for maintaining an unsettling sense of calm — even as his world comes crashing down around him amid Aggie’s investigation into his troubled past — to resemble Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. —Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 7 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