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  

/ -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

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

The difficulty and expense of the various alternatives increases “the attractiveness of a resource that’s already operating and producing clean energy around the clock,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Now, however, climate change has turned water into a scarce resource, requiring a shift in thinking, Schneider argued.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

It is a naturally derived material and is often discarded as waste by the farming industry, giving it potential as both a renewable and scalable resource.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

The spokesperson said this is "making sure the Probation Service has the resource it needs to keep dangerous offenders under closer surveillance than ever before".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Another major resource that English puts at a writer’s disposal is the choice of verb.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

A liaison officer was tasked with coordinating the aerial resources "to prevent accidents," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

"There is a risk that the fire could reach homes, but we are deploying all available resources to protect them," he said, with a nearby gymnasium opened to accommodate those evacuating their homes.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Already a successful publicly traded company thanks to its cash-printing Search business, Google had the financial resources to support DeepMind’s scientific pursuits — for a while, at least.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Without evidence of a coordinated effort or plot, it didn’t make sense to put resources into such prosecutions, a former DOJ official who oversaw election cases said.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

As described by William Julius Wilson in his book When Work Disappears, the overwhelming majority of African Americans in the 1970s lacked college educations and had attended racially segregated, underfunded schools lacking basic resources.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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