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

However, this group’s tactics resemble those of Contagious Interview more than Lazarus, says Nick Carlsen, a senior investigator specializing in North Korea at the blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs. —Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026

Online and offline, motherhood has started to resemble a real-life Truman Show — a performance carried out under constant observation, where strangers across the country appoint themselves judge and jury. —Micah Barkley, Bloomberg, 10 Apr. 2026

The developing base now resembles a potential inverse head-and-shoulders pattern — one of the more reliable bottoming formations in technical analysis. —Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026

About 10 years ago, the group began to split into two, apparently after one group charged another — and something resembling a human civil war broke out. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 10 Apr. 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