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”; 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

DIA indicated the Syria-based group “continues to face leadership and resource constraints and the extent to which the group will exploit the situation in Syria to reverse these trends this year remains unclear.”

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

“He was a resource for me,” Scioscia said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Bauer College of Business, whose research likens its effect on our senses to that of a shimmering body of water, which we’re evolutionarily programmed to perceive as a vital resource.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Wireless spectrum—the frequencies that wireless calls and data travel over—is a finite resource that every data provider needs.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

On any planet, no matter what its biology or social system, an exponential increase in population will swallow every resource.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

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