natural resource
Americannoun
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a naturally occurring source of wealth, as land or water.
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natural resources, the natural wealth of a country, consisting of land, forests, mineral deposits, water, etc.
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Something, such as a forest, a mineral deposit, or fresh water, that is found in nature and is necessary or useful to humans.
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See more at nonrenewable renewable
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of natural resource
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Huang pitched government leaders on treating data as a natural resource and building domestic infrastructure for it.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
The prime minister said the fund will invest - along with the private sector - into what his government has described as "nation-building projects" like port upgrades and natural resource development.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Few states dominate the domestic production of a natural resource like Arizona does copper.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025
And in 2009, the new constitution even recognized “ancestral coca as cultural patrimony, a renewable natural resource of Bolivia’s biodiversity, and as a factor of social cohesion.”
From Salon • Mar. 9, 2025
His project focused on solving environment problems, notably waste, by using a natural resource: earthworms.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions 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.
