resort
Americanverb (used without object)
-
resorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resorted,
past participle, past
-
resorting
present participle
-
to have recourse for use, help, or accomplishing something, often as a final available option or resource.
to resort to war.
-
to go, especially frequently or customarily.
a beach to which many people resort.
noun
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resorts
plural
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a place to which people frequently or generally go for relaxation or pleasure, especially one providing rest and recreation facilities for vacationers.
a popular winter resort.
-
habitual or general going, as to a place or person.
-
use of or appeal to some person or thing for aid, satisfaction, service, etc.; resource.
to have resort to force;
a court of last resort.
-
a person or thing resorted to for aid, satisfaction, service, etc.
verb
-
(usually foll by to) to have recourse (to) for help, use, etc
to resort to violence
-
to go, esp often or habitually; repair
to resort to the beach
noun
-
a place to which many people go for recreation, rest, etc
a holiday resort
-
the use of something as a means, help, or recourse
-
the act of going to a place, esp for recreation, rest, etc
-
the last possible course of action open to one
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resortsimple
-
resortssimple
-
have resortedperfect
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has resortedperfect
-
am resortingprogressive
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are resortingprogressive
-
is resortingprogressive
-
have been resortingperfect progressive
-
has been resortingperfect progressive
Past
-
resortedsimple
-
had resortedperfect
-
was resortingprogressive
-
were resortingprogressive
-
had been resortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resort
First recorded in 1325–75; (for the verb) Middle English resorten, from Old French resortir, from re- re- + sortir “to go out, leave, escape” (perhaps ultimately from Latin sortīrī “to draw lots”); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
The noun resort means "turning to something or someone else for assistance." You tried everything to figure out your math homework on your own, so asking your dad for help was your last resort. Resort, pronounced "re-ZORT," is also a verb that means "to adopt a course of action to improve your situation." It's when you use that last resort: if you can't convince your mom to let you go rock-climbing, you will resort to begging. Resort also means a fancy hotel, usually in a very scenic location, or a place you go often — when your friends didn't know where you were, they checked your resorts: the gym and the park.
Vocabulary lists containing resort
"Arachne"
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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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:
Nine people were killed Sunday when the Learjet they were traveling in plummeted into a neighborhood in southern Florida, just miles from US President Donald Trump's resort home of Mar-a-Lago, officials said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
For example, only weeks before the plane gift in May 2025, the Trump Organization announced its participation in development of a $5.5 billion luxury golf resort in Doha, Qatar.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
The Canyon Ranch Austin resort is set on 600 acres in the small unincorporated community of Spicewood, about an hour from Austin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The layoffs are limited to the experiences division, which includes Disney’s theme parks, cruise line and Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
In March of 1960 seventeen-year-old Bobby flew to Mar del Plata, the seaside resort on Argentina’s Atlantic coast, south of Buenos Aires.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
One of Southern California’s premier seaside resorts, the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, has been sold for an estimated $600 million as the top end of the state’s hotel market continues to thrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
They not only mimic ocean waves but also allow more surfers per day, making building resorts around them more financially feasible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
MGM Resorts MGM -2.57%decrease; down pointing triangle International recorded lower quarterly revenue, hurt by a decline in room rates at its resorts on the Las Vegas strip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Larger resorts create efficiencies that are difficult for smaller hotels to replicate.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The countess marched Katherine down to the resorts kitchen, and for the rest of the summer, the high school student spent her lunchtime in conversation with the Greenbrier’s Parisian chef.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Those who were too afraid to go out in the city had resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Locals trapped there have resorted to hunting and eating pigeons in recent months, former residents in touch with those in the city told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Where Waititi once brought an authentic ache to his bittersweet sagas of wayward souls, he’s resorted to sledgehammer mawkishness that’s meant to be offset by his droll humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
As with his mother, who wrote tall tales during his Northern Irish youth, Cohn resorted to literary imagination and exaggeration to bring the story to life.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Since the banning of books, people had resorted to illegally trading them on the black market.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
These are growth options for PLS without resorting to M&A in markets underpinned by strong underlying long-term demand, such as electric vehicles and battery storage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP in an exclusive interview he wants to reach a security agreement with Israel once it withdraws from the south, and is determined to disarm Hezbollah without resorting to confrontation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
But resorting to litigation rather than negotiating a settlement to this trivial dispute could open a new source of pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
"The whole ship was a sweat box," he said, with some passengers in cabins that had no windows resorting to sleeping on the ship's roof.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.”
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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