resemble
Americanverb (used with object)
-
resembles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resembled,
past participle, past
-
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
-
resemblesimple
-
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
-
have been resemblingperfect progressive
-
has been resemblingperfect progressive
Past
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resembledsimple
-
had resembledperfect
-
was resemblingprogressive
-
were resemblingprogressive
-
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:
The images resemble holograms, though they are solid to the touch; they seem to be projections that the boy has manifested to ease his loneliness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
But Unsworth, who leads foraging trips across Lancashire, warned people not to eat wild mushrooms unless they were certain they had identified them correctly, as some poisonous species can closely resemble edible varieties.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
"We wanted to understand how African lions in human care respond when feeding routines more closely resemble those natural patterns."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Sergio, an artist in his own right, even constructed her first booth to resemble a fruit stand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Round spheres that resemble birdcages rise and descend while one or more aerialists move from within the sphere to without, standing on the top or hanging from the bars on the bottom.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Meghnad S., a 36-year-old content creator, is on a mission that resembles a crowd-sourced rescue service.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Trapped in this stiffer, earlier incarnation, the only acting Strong is able to do is poke his head straight up from his shoulders until he resembles a retractable pen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
His every motive feels ulterior, and his inevitable simmering romance with Lowen resembles a can of worms that could pop open at any moment.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
According to the researchers, that configuration resembles conditions seen in the model before past ruptures that crossed both fault systems.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Minutes pass and old people disappear until the row of wheelchairs resembles a jack-o-lantern’s gap-toothed smile.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
In 2024, the actor threatened legal action against OpenAI after the company released its voice assistant — known as Sky — for ChatGPT, which she alleged resembled her voice without her consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
On the surface, it seems like harmless video game humor, and I’m sure we’ve all had encounters with actual humans that resembled interacting with tautological machines programmed with limited responses.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The anonymous account, whose picture resembled a "Jujutsu Kaisen" character dubbed by Tsuda, combined images and seemingly AI-generated speech about urban legends, occult phenomena and conspiracy theories.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The researchers found that the additional breast cancer cases detected in randomized trials closely resembled patterns seen in Denmark, where overdiagnosis associated with screening is estimated to be below 5%.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
The vegetables—onions and celery and something that resembled a purple carrot—were spicy and made my eyes water.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Huang's "defence of CoreWeave's financial position was enough to pull the NeoCloud complex off the floor, drag AI equities higher and give the broader market something resembling a pulse", wrote SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The book shows a strange creature resembling a bunny with wings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
AI slop has begun appearing on restaurant menus, signs and advertisements, offering food imagery that looks optimized for appetite without necessarily resembling anything a person could cook.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Known as magnetofossils, the microscopic structures come in shapes resembling spearheads, spindles, bullets, and needles.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Then it rose redly into the purpled sky, resembling a black eye.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
