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

Pictures of the necropsy show a team of scientists huddled around the 397-pound animal, which closely resembles a modern baby elephant. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Led by Bolts Frankenstein, the team consists of Wraps (part ambulance, part mummy), Sonnie (a vampiric helicopter), Sweeps (the street sweeping Wolfman), and several more of their friends who resemble classic movie monsters. —Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 8 Apr. 2025

But nationwide, there's little that resembles the widespread cash payments that many advocates, like Hampton, originally envisioned. —Henry Larweh, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025

Image At one of their protests, a wavy, 20-foot balloon man who vaguely resembled Mr. Musk saluted into the air. —Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 6 Apr. 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