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 wrist braces resemble the kind sold at a drugstore to help with tendon pain, the only difference being each comes equipped with a 7-pound weight at the end. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Goodman says very early Alzheimer’s disease can sometimes resemble ordinary forgetfulness. — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026

The last second baseman whose numbers resembled Chisholm’s did take a one-year, prove-it deal. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

These luxury houses increasingly resemble sports franchises, with star designers traded, poached, and recruited across warring corporate empires. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 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