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 500,000-square-foot museum (slated to open sometime in 2025) will be home to both a planetarium and a giant-screen theater, as well as a spiraling ramp resembling a twisting DNA strand that also acts as exhibition space. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025

The fact that language models work at all is proof that something resembling language learning can happen without any of the specialized machinery Chomsky proposed. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 13 Jan. 2025

What Kelly seems to want is something resembling a Catholic version of a Marvel superhero flick, or propaganda where priests are unquestionably good. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 12 Jan. 2025

Explain the meaning behind your flag: The 21 stripes represent Illinois as the 21st state and reflect its agricultural roots, resembling rows of crops and the open prairie. —Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 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

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