liken
Americanverb (used with object)
-
likens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
likened,
past participle, past
-
likening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
likensimple
-
likenssimple
-
have likenedperfect
-
has likenedperfect
-
am likeningprogressive
-
are likeningprogressive
-
is likeningprogressive
-
have been likeningperfect progressive
-
has been likeningperfect progressive
Past
-
likenedsimple
-
had likenedperfect
-
was likeningprogressive
-
were likeningprogressive
-
had been likeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of liken
First recorded in 1275–1325, liken is from the Middle English word liknen. See like 1, -en 1
Explanation
When you liken one thing to another, you compare them and point out what they have in common. You might liken your long walk to school to your ancestors' voyage across the ocean to the New World. When you equate two things, or emphasize their similarities, you liken them. You could liken your experience at the dentist to torture, or liken your dad's skill at baking pies to that of Rembrandt painting a portrait. Your grandmother might liken her romance with your grandfather to a fairy tale, and you could then liken the day you spent listening to her stories to watching a long, dull movie.
Vocabulary lists containing liken
The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Finding Langston
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Flora and Ulysses
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“I liken Harrenhal to the White Lotus of Westeros,” Mitchell says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
"I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Analysts are largely bullish on both companies and liken picking which one they prefer to choosing a favorite child.
From MarketWatch ● May 25, 2026
This "is what replacing looks like," added Polanski, a charismatic figurehead some liken to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and who only took charge of the Greens last September.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Many would later liken the pairing of Morrow and Halliday to that of Jobs and Wozniak or Lennon and McCartney.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Former BBC One controller Peter Fincham, who hosts the TV podcast Insiders, likens it to the Davina McCall chat show he commissioned in 2006, which also ended after one series.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
He likens Tilly to Pixar’s computer-animated characters — another technological leap that initially met resistance before becoming accepted as a legitimate form of screen performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Toussaint likens them to one of TV’s greatest prime time soap operas: “It’s like when I was a kid, and we watched ‘Dallas.’
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Crockett likens that to the approximate weight of a baseball, “which is seen as maybe a nonstarter for mass appeal.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
A net woven from long grass that covers the couple during their vows, the touching of each other’s lips with salt water, and the ancient wedding song, which likens marriage to a sea voyage.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
A senior councillor in one affected area warns there has been a "loss of control" of the planning system, while villagers living near one site likened its rapid construction to a "military operation".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Adams likened “hill-climbing” to “flywheel,” a popular bit of engineering-bred MBA-speak, in its easy-to-grasp physicality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
He likened it to referees betting on the outcome of a basketball game.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Mark Cabana, head of rates strategy at BofA Global Research, likened Warsh to a person saying they are firmly committed to losing 15 pounds but without exercise, diet or using GLP-1 drugs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
She could dismiss my preparations if she wanted, but I likened our arrangement to the night I had to fight off a pushy raccoon back on the farm.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
“I’m not here because of some great thing I did, I’m here because God delivered me,” Paxton said, likening himself to other “not particularly perfect” biblical figures like Peter, Paul and David.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Merlin has often been called a "Shazam for birds" - likening it to Apple's app letting users identify a song playing using a phone's microphone.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
More than 1,600 employees signed a petition calling for it to end, with some likening the company to a "data extraction factory," according to media reports.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Bernstein analyst Madison Rezaei initially flagged the possibility of such a risk to neoclouds in a March note, likening CoreWeave’s business model to a “situationship,” or a noncommittal romantic entanglement.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
If she says she is sorry for likening me to Winfield, I will tell her who sent the roses.”
From Polly in New York by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
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.
