Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To see, mention, or show as similar; compare.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make like; cause to resemble.
  • To represent, declare, or describe as like or similar; compare.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To allege, or think, to be like; to represent as like; to compare.
  • transitive verb rare To make or cause to be like.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To compare; to state that (something) is like (something else).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English liknen, from like, similar; see like.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English liken ("to compare; to be comparable, be equal; to form; to be appropriate"), equivalent to like +‎ -en.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word liken.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. — Matthew 7:24

    February 5, 2011

  • Many rocks have lichens on them.

    February 5, 2011