liken
verb (used with object)
to represent as similar or like; compare.
likened
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past participleof liken.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof liken.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
likenverb (used with object)to represent as similar or like; compare.
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.
The filmmaker likened the project to a small football team going on a cup run, saying it "brought people together in the story".
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Decades ago, retirement planning was likened to a “three-legged stool”: one leg represented a pension, another leg represented Social Security and the last stood for the individual’s own personal savings and investments.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Tim Cook likened escalating memory-chip prices to a “100-year flood.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Khalil's ordeal also exposed him to conditions in a Louisiana jail he likened to torture, describing constant fluorescent light, cold, and poor food.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Myelin is often likened to the plastic coating around electrical wires—it insulates the neural circuits, making them about a hundred times faster than unmyelinated circuits.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
