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

Her deep muscle architecture resembled that of a much younger person, similar to athletes tested for performance. —Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025

Despite having small brains, pterosaurs’ overall brain shape surprisingly resembled that of non-flying, small, bird-like dinosaurs (troodontids and dromaeosaurids). —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Nov. 2025

Some skeptics have said that the relish resembles the color of Pepto-Bismol. —NPR, 27 Nov. 2025

His fluctuating emotions also resemble this Water sign. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 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