resource

American  

[ree-sawrs, -sohrs, -zawrs, -zohrs, ri-sawrs, -sohrs, -zawrs, -zohrs] / ˈri sɔrs, -soʊrs, -zɔrs, -zoʊrs, rɪˈsɔrs, -ˈsoʊrs, -ˈzɔrs, -ˈzoʊrs /

noun

1. a source of supply, support, or aid, especially one that can be readily drawn upon when needed.

   Synonyms:

   service , help , assistance , support , aid

2. resources, the collective wealth of a country or its means of producing wealth.

3. Usually resources money, or any property that can be converted into money; assets.

   Synonyms:

   wealth , riches , deep pockets , property , money , funds , cash , capital

4. Often resources an available means afforded by the mind or one's personal capabilities.

   to have resource against loneliness.

5. an action or measure to which one may have recourse in an emergency; expedient.

   Synonyms:

   device , shift , resort , recourse , means , contrivance

6. capability in dealing with a situation or in meeting difficulties.

   a woman of resource.

   Synonyms:

   ingenuity , adaptability

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resource British  

/ -ˈsɔːs, rɪˈzɔːs /

noun

1. capability, ingenuity, and initiative; quick-wittedness

   a man of resource

2. (often plural) a source of economic wealth, esp of a country (mineral, land, labour, etc) or business enterprise (capital, equipment, personnel, etc)

3. a supply or source of aid or support; something resorted to in time of need

4. a means of doing something; expedient

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Other Word Forms

• resourceless adjective
• resourcelessness noun

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”; resurge, source

Example Sentences

Many teams in that spot would simply have picked one of them to be their No. 1 and focused their resources on delivering him to the title.

From The Wall Street Journal

The potential buy—the main driver for Jiangxi’s Monday share gains—signals the miner’s long-term commitment to resource expansion, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

“They don’t expect us to fight back because they have way more resources and power than we do.”

From Los Angeles Times

The James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions provides undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with the intellectual community, opportunities and resources to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of truth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Language was a theatrical resource that could do more than win arguments.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ability
• capability
• capital
• means
• property
• reserve
• source
• support
• system
• talent
• wealth