resource

American  

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

noun

• resources
  plural

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  

/ rɪˈzɔːs, -ˈsɔːs /

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

Derived Forms

• resourcelessness
  noun
• resourceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• resources
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resource resources

She added there would be a "risk that the employees could no longer work if their identities were revealed", which would be a "loss of valuable resource" to the authority.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Together, the studies create a major new resource for researchers and provide fresh opportunities to investigate how changes in genome organization contribute to development, aging, and disease, including neurodegenerative disorders.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

School resource officers and other investigators determined that the phone belonged to Jeffrey Pribble, head varsity coach of the football team, police said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Energy and resource stocks have zigged while the market has zagged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

There was fierce resentment among many when the President and the Secretary of War used every resource at their hands to raise more troops to support Grant and Sherman.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

One of the perks of “Winning Works” is that the choreographers are given access not only to the Joffrey’s people and spaces, but also its resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Today, no private entrepreneur is able to cover the necessary investments using their own resources.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

But even with the powerful computer resources available to Nvidia, the software only gives a rudimentary understanding of the real world.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Without collecting race and ethnicity data in the census, these estimates could not be produced, needlessly wasting resources and endangering lives.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

This is a typical human response to recognizing differences that can become a problem when more than one group wants or needs the same resources.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

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