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
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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
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have been resemblingperfect progressive
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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:
Even so, parts of northern Sputnik Planitia have been darkened in patterns that resemble features seen on terrestrial glaciers after they are exposed to rainwater or to liquid emerging from beneath the ice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
And at 6-6, 265 pounds as an 18-year-old freshman, Luke probably wouldn’t resemble his forebearers on the football field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Anthropic says in its report that some of the schemes go beyond the normal distillation methods companies use and instead resemble sophisticated illicit schemes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In terms of air defence, analysts say the new drones more closely resemble a cruise missile than a conventional drone.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Many Kikongo words resemble English words backward and have antithetical meanings: Syebo is a horrible, destructive rain, that just exactly does not do what it says backward.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"We once lived in a house above ground, where you could see the world. But today, we live in an underground cave that resembles a grave," Emar said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The challenge is that AI sits between these cases in an awkward way: It resembles the colleague in what it can do and the ventilator in what it can answer for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The campaign has gained some traction, but feels more ad-hoc than a planned national movement, and the CJP still resembles a loose pressure group - something Dipke says is deliberate.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Los Angeles neighborhood, which gets its name from a massive boulder in the hills that resembles the face of an eagle, is sandwiched between Pasadena and Glendale and two major freeways.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It’s shiny silver and resembles an RV—has a door and wide windows on the sides—but it also has a smokestack and big wheels with pistons like a locomotive.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
I observed to him that his language resembled the ways the American Bitcoiners talked, and asked if he felt they were right to fear a fate similar to Zimbabwe’s.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
At times, the standing area closest to the stage resembled an Indian wedding, with fans copying Dosanjh's impressive moves.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Once, border migration patterns resembled a loop: thousands of laborers, mostly men, commuted here once or twice a year from Mexico to jobs in the fields, then on to other jobs once harvests were over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The main dining room resembled a luxury ocean liner, with floor-to-ceiling windows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
In time the wall resembled a lunar landscape upended, pockmarked with fist-sized craters.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
The footage appears to show a charred stretch of desert, with parts seen resembling wings and an engine from an F-15.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In 1767, Bowen received a British patent for his method of producing soy sauce, a fermented condiment resembling the soy sauce already imported from Asia.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
They found patterns resembling those observed in the mice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
In further comments to the Focus news outlet, a spokesman for the operator said homemade projectiles, resembling fireworks typically used on New Year's Eve in Germany, were used in the attack.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
They repeated the ritual, and Thorn turned into an adorable old lady, resembling Grandma Lilou down to the shiny silvery hair.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
