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

As the firework began to wane after well over a minute, zigzagging streaks of light spread into a canopy of twinkling flashes that resembled stars. — Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026

The furnaces resemble thermos bottles hundreds of feet tall. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Each arm has two finger-like pinching grippers that resemble the hands of a Lego mini figure. — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 28 June 2026

Or a pig’s leg lying off to the side, detached and jittering, could resemble Ted’s leg. — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 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