resistance
Americannoun
-
the act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding.
- Synonyms:
- intransigence , defiance , obstinacy , opposition
-
the opposition offered by one thing, force, etc., to another.
-
Electricity.
-
Also called ohmic resistance. a property of a conductor by virtue of which the passage of current is opposed, causing electric energy to be transformed into heat: equal to the voltage across the conductor divided by the current flowing in the conductor: usually measured in ohms. R
-
a conductor or coil offering such opposition; resistor.
-
-
Psychiatry. opposition to an attempt to bring repressed thoughts or feelings into consciousness.
-
(often initial capital letter) an underground organization composed of groups of private individuals working as an opposition force in a conquered country to overthrow the occupying power, usually by acts of sabotage, guerrilla warfare, etc..
the resistance during the German occupation in World War II.
-
Stock Exchange. resistance level.
noun
-
the act or an instance of resisting
-
the capacity to withstand something, esp the body's natural capacity to withstand disease
-
-
R. the opposition to a flow of electric current through a circuit component, medium, or substance. It is the magnitude of the real part of the impedance and is measured in ohms Compare reactance
-
( as modifier )
resistance coupling
a resistance thermometer
-
-
any force that tends to retard or oppose motion
air resistance
wind resistance
-
(in psychoanalytical theory) the tendency of a person to prevent the translation of repressed thoughts and ideas from the unconscious to the conscious and esp to resist the analyst's attempt to bring this about
-
physics the magnitude of the real part of the acoustic or mechanical impedance
-
the easiest, but not necessarily the best or most honourable, course of action
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012-
A force, such as friction, that operates opposite the direction of motion of a body and tends to prevent or slow down the body's motion.
-
A measure of the degree to which a substance impedes the flow of electric current induced by a voltage. Resistance is measured in ohms. Good conductors, such as copper, have low resistance. Good insulators, such as rubber, have high resistance. Resistance causes electrical energy to be dissipated as heat.
-
See also Ohm's law
-
The capacity of an organism, tissue, or cell to withstand the effects of a harmful physical or environmental agent, such as a microorganism or pollutant.
Other Word Forms
- interresistance noun
Etymology
Origin of resistance
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French; equivalent to resist + -ance
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.
His "drunken monkey" hypothesis initially met resistance from many scientists, especially primatologists, who argued that primates in the wild do not commonly eat fermented fruits or nectar.
From Science Daily
The dictator is clearly nervous, alternating between pleas for “peace” and defiant calls for national resistance.
They also showed better mitochondrial function, which may contribute to their resistance to weight gain.
From Science Daily
The futility and frustration of dieting has in recent years ignited a resistance movement of sorts, encouraging women, especially, to reject social pressures to maintain a slender form.
After the Allied landing in June 1944, resistance fighters were organized into the French Forces of the Interior.
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.
