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
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.
Australia's tax code has "generous" provision for energy companies, says Samantha Hepburn, a professor at Deakin University specialising in natural resource law.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Beijing is also targeting the lunar South Pole, not least for its rich natural resource potential.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
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 • Feb. 17, 2026
“Groundwater will become the most important natural resource in the world’s drying regions. We need to carefully protect it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025
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.
