natural resource

American  

noun

1. a naturally occurring source of wealth, as land or water.

2. natural resources, the natural wealth of a country, consisting of land, forests, mineral deposits, water, etc.

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natural resource Scientific  

1. Something, such as a forest, a mineral deposit, or fresh water, that is found in nature and is necessary or useful to humans.

2. See more at nonrenewable renewable

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Etymology

Origin of natural resource

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

It created something called the Olympiatoppen, an organization whose sole responsibility was overseeing the recruitment and training of Norway’s second most coveted natural resource: Olympic athletes.

From The Wall Street Journal

But already, for the US, there is a menu full of tempting bilateral deals involving minerals and natural resources, which bypass any opportunity for collective bargaining on the part of the continent.

From BBC

This includes valuable natural resources such as marble, gold, iridium, uranium and thorium and also possible deposits of oil and gas, with the information prepared by UK government officials, working for the Helmand reconstruction team.

From BBC

It is not clear if Vance was referring to Greenland's natural resources - including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron - which are becoming easier to access as its ice melts because of climate change.

From BBC

Nations such as China, Russia and the United States are scrambling to secure a foothold in the Arctic for strategic reasons and to access huge reserves of natural resources.

From Barron's

Related Words

• raw material
• timber
• water