natural resource
Americannoun
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natural resources
plural
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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.
Meanwhile when energy and commodity prices crash, natural resource companies lose out—but pretty much everyone else benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
“We always expected it to be a rocky road to resolution, but this is a pretty big rock,” said Tyler Rosenlicht, head of natural resource equities at Cohen & Steers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The findings carry an important warning for pet owners, natural resource managers, and policymakers: while goldfish are common household pets, they can become a significant ecological threat outside the aquarium.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 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
I was simply a material, a natural resource to be used.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
