natural resource

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.

natural resource

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of natural resource¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Women and girls face disproportionate impacts from climate change, the UN says, largely because they make up the majority of the world's poor and rely heavily on local natural resources for their livelihoods.

Read more on Barron's

"It is the perennial problem," said Heather Exner-Pirot, director of natural resources, energy and the environment at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute think tank, and who is based in Calgary, Alberta.

Read more on BBC

Brazil is pushing the idea of building a prospering economy by sustainably using natural resources, preserving nature to protect the vitality of the land, and developing valuable products including fuels, pharmaceuticals, and foods.

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He argued that a tug of war with the West over Russia’s soul was just as fierce as the fight for natural resources.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Despite its vast natural resources, which include gold, diamonds, uranium, cobalt and copper, the DRC ranks among the world's poorest countries.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• raw material 
• timber 
• water