resemble
Americanverb (used with object)
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resembles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resembled,
past participle, past
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resembling
present participle
-
to be like or similar to.
-
Archaic. to liken or compare.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resemblesimple
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resemblessimple
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have resembledperfect
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has resembledperfect
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am resemblingprogressive
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are resemblingprogressive
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is resemblingprogressive
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have been resemblingperfect progressive
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has been resemblingperfect progressive
Past
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resembledsimple
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had resembledperfect
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was resemblingprogressive
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were resemblingprogressive
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had been resemblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resemble
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English resemblen, from Middle French resembler, Old French, from re- re- + sembler “to seem, be like” (from Latin similāre, derivative of similis “like”; see similar)
Explanation
Have you noticed that many pet owners resemble their pets? Or is it that pets resemble their owners? Either way, it’s downright strange how they often look alike. Derived from the old French word sembler, “to appear,” the verb resemble can imply a whole spectrum of likeness. For example, you might closely resemble your schnauzer or, hopefully, only vaguely resemble each other. It’s not just about appearance, either. This concept can include all kinds of characteristics. Two companies can resemble each other and the same could be said of two philosophies.
Vocabulary lists containing resemble
List 2
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"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Holes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Closed-end funds are mutual funds that resemble stocks: They issue a fixed number of shares, and these trade on the stock market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
The privileges of the English eccentric resemble those of the fool in the medieval court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When sent a list of questions about the devices, which resemble thick work gloves, Compliant Technologies declined to comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"The reality is that many of these organisations now resemble multinational corporations more than a traditional organised crime network or gang," says John Wojcik, an analyst at TRM Labs, which investigates crypto-facilitated crime.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“The inimitable Locke,” he answered, “saith that mankind is engaged in perpetual uneasiness, and that it is lack which motivates us forward. In our desires, we resemble the action of a two-legged table.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Texas Instruments’ Evo has moved to a menu-based interface that resembles that of Casio and NumWorks, according to Choudhury.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The idea resembles winding optical fiber around a spool, but nanofabrication makes it possible to fit the path into a far smaller footprint.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Then that truth gets “wrenched through this…assembly line,” until what comes out on the other side barely resembles where it started.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
A man who has not been publicly identified has been “living” inside the billboard since Thursday, in what resembles a fully furnished, air-conditioned living room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
I chose a pattern with a woven look at the corners that resembles the weaving of a basket, five strips of fabric around the border.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
The S&P 500 has recently resembled the way it looked five years ago, when investors started to play it safer, according to Morgan Stanley.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
At first glance, the reel resembled the workout videos he usually posted.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In some samples, the collected particles resembled sparkling fragments of cosmic material.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
DHS said last Thursday the stop was initiated because they saw "a white van with an individual who resembled the target" of an operation.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Matthias saw that all the tiny thorns on the rose stems resembled small swords.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Rather than appearing smoothly throughout the material, it began in isolated regions that expanded outward, resembling the way ice crystals begin forming in liquid water.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Another potential scenario, Shpaizman said, is one resembling the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, as they tried to stop certification of his election defeat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The judge later told them he "rejected the contention" that the teenagers had shown "anything resembling remorse".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
My stomach was in knots as I pictured myself clad in a lemon chiffon dress looking like a dollop of meringue, doing the Viennese waltz — something resembling a Centrum Silver commercial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
With their apparatus, a refinement of the Marsden-Geiger box of 1911, they found that ordinary air produced especially frequent scintillations resembling those of hydrogen nuclei, or protons.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
