resource
Americannoun
-
resources
plural
-
a source of supply, support, or aid, especially one that can be readily drawn upon when needed.
- Synonyms:
- service, help, assistance, support, aid
-
resources, the collective wealth of a country or its means of producing wealth.
-
Usually resources money, or any property that can be converted into money; assets.
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Often resources an available means afforded by the mind or one's personal capabilities.
to have resource against loneliness.
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an action or measure to which one may have recourse in an emergency; expedient.
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capability in dealing with a situation or in meeting difficulties.
a woman of resource.
- Synonyms:
- ingenuity, adaptability
noun
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capability, ingenuity, and initiative; quick-wittedness
a man of resource
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(often plural) a source of economic wealth, esp of a country (mineral, land, labour, etc) or business enterprise (capital, equipment, personnel, etc)
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a supply or source of aid or support; something resorted to in time of need
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a means of doing something; expedient
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of resource
First recorded in 1640–50; from French ressource, Old French ressourse, noun derivative of resourdre “to rise up,” from Latin resurgere, equivalent to re- re- + surgere “to rise up, lift”; see resurge, source
Explanation
A resource is any personal talent or outside supply that can be tapped for help or support. Resource comes from an old French word meaning "relief" or "recovery," which certainly ties in with the idea of a resource being something that offers necessary aid. However, the word resource also refers to the natural resources available in and on our Earth — things that we are constantly drawing on and depleting, such as our trees, ores, and atmosphere. Once such a natural resource is used up, it’s usually gone forever, and is no longer a resource.
Vocabulary lists containing resource
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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List 3
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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:
As the only full-time medical provider on the island, Catalina Island Health is a vital resource for approximately 4,000 residents and 1 million annual visitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Your brother’s primary residence and one vehicle would be excluded when determining resource eligibility.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
But disinformation researchers are warning it could enable bad actors to misuse Google Earth -- a key resource for fact-checking and verification -- to create realistic geospatial fakes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
As recently as the 1990s, Thailand’s plunging birthrate was celebrated as a success by demographers worried about overpopulation and resource scarcity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
His every resource as a pilot now came into play as he held the stick that fought the convulsions of a maimed craft shuddering downward like a kind of ruin.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
But they note in some districts the percentage of foreign owners already exceeds the 15 percent limit, particularly in "territories endowed with water and mineral resources, or logistical advantages," such as ports.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Norfolk Police said "significant police resources" were deployed to Thetford on Wednesday to maintain public safety, after a large group gathered on Clover Way.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The difficult reality is that the rest of the family has limited financial and emotional resources.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
But El-Sayed ably weaponized these resources against Stevens, making her financial superiority the core of his argument against her.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The hospital’s equipment, staff, and resources were always available to him, without Farmer having to worry about raising money to pay for anything.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
