Long non‑coding (lnc)RNAs participate in colorectal cancer (CRC) occurrence and progression. The present study aimed to investigate whether lncRNA ABHD11‑AS1 regulates malignant biological behavior of CRC cells. Bioinformatic analysis, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization revealed that ABHD11‑AS1 expression was decreased in CRC samples and associated with an unfavorable prognosis. ABHD11‑AS1 overexpression significantly decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells, whereas ABHD11‑AS1 inhibition had the opposite effects. ABHD11‑AS1 interacted with EGFR to inhibit EGFR phosphorylation and attenuate EGFR/ERK signaling, which in turn suppressed the malignant biological behavior of CRC cells. The tumor suppressor function of ABHD11‑AS1 was attenuated by the EGFR agonist NSC228155. Finally, resveratrol (RSV) inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, which may be associated with RSV‑induced decrease in SPT6 homolog, histone chaperone and transcription elongation factor protein expression and increase in ABHD11‑AS1 transcript levels. ABHD11‑AS1 inhibited the phosphorylation of EGFR and decreased EGFR/ERK signaling by interacting with EGFR, thereby delaying the progression of CRC. The ABHD11‑AS1/EGFR/ERK axis may be a novel therapeutic target for preventing CRC progression.