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.
“We’re integrated in the global economy like everyone else is,” said Brett Watson, associate professor of applied and natural resource economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Beijing is also targeting the lunar South Pole, not least for its rich natural resource potential.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
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
"We're a natural resource superpower," Mr Karaguesia said, adding that the country could use the tariffs as a push to harness that potential and sell its products elsewhere.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 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.
