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

Other excavations in recent years have uncovered a pregnant tortoise, an ancient construction site and a painting of a circular flatbread that resembles a pizza, among other finds. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024

During a search of the vehicle, a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban, troopers found a metallic cylinder with a 1-foot fuse that resembled a CO2 cartridge. —Amir Mahmoud, arkansasonline.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Statistical Modeling Looking at historical World Series results, the outcomes of the first two games resemble the probabilities of a coin flip. —Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

There is something about an artist that resembles a liquor salesman. —Yukio Mishima, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

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