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.
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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
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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:
Sarcone, who volunteers at a local LGBTQ+ youth resource center they also founded, still plans to vote for all three.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
To investigate this possibility, Salta and her colleagues examined donated human brain tissue obtained through the Netherlands Brain Bank, a research resource that collects and preserves brain samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Burnham acknowledged the two leaders had discussed the issue, arguing: "There is a resource there. When people are struggling - you can't ignore that."
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Water difficulties are forcing many Cubans to haul the precious resource for long distances, transporting it via wheelbarrows, bicycles, car trunks and even horse-drawn carts.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Well, I would like to offer up myself as a resource, if that’s okay.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
I don’t necessarily mean just kind of financial resources, but also what kind of backing Versant is giving you this time versus when you were part of the larger NBC Universal structure.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
As missions involve longer journeys and increasingly complex operations, the team wants to reduce the time and resources needed to plan safe routes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
He says two big changes over the past 25 years have made a huge difference - the increase in the use of artificial pitches, and more resources being put into coaching and talent development.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
It is decentralization and local control—greater discretion and resources for institutions Americans can directly hold accountable and already trust far more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Indigenous people who survived had little means to immediately resist the settlers’ takeover of their lands and resources.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
