resolve
Americanverb (used with object)
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resolves,
present (3rd person singular)
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resolved,
past participle, past
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resolving
present participle
-
to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something).
I have resolved that I shall live to the full.
- Synonyms:
- confirm
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to separate into constituent or elementary parts; break up; cause or disintegrate (usually followed byinto ).
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to reduce or convert by, or as by, breaking up or disintegration (usually followed by to orinto ).
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to convert or transform by any process (often used reflexively).
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to reduce by mental analysis (often followed byinto ).
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to settle, determine, or state in a formal vote or formal expression of opinion or intention, as of a deliberative assembly.
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to deal with (a question, a matter of uncertainty, etc.) conclusively; settle; solve.
to resolve the question before the board.
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to clear away or dispel (doubts, fears, etc.); answer.
to resolve any doubts we may have had.
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Chemistry. to separate (a racemic mixture) into optically active components.
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Music. to cause (a voice part or the harmony as a whole) to progress from a dissonance to a consonance.
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Optics. to separate and make visible the individual parts of (an image); distinguish between.
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Medicine/Medical. to cause (swellings, inflammation, etc.) to disappear without suppuration.
verb (used without object)
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resolves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resolved,
past participle, past
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resolving
present participle
-
to come to a determination; make up one's mind; determine (often followed by on orupon ).
to resolve on a plan of action.
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to break up or disintegrate.
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to be reduced or changed by breaking up or otherwise (usually followed by to orinto ).
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Music. to progress from a dissonance to a consonance.
noun
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resolves
plural
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a resolution or determination made, as to follow some course of action.
- Synonyms:
- decision
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firmness of purpose or intent; determination.
verb
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(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to decide or determine firmly
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to express (an opinion) formally, esp (of a public meeting) one agreed by a vote
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to separate or cause to separate (into) (constituent parts or elements)
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(usually reflexive) to change, alter, or appear to change or alter
the ghost resolved itself into a tree
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to make up the mind of; cause to decide
the tempest resolved him to stay at home
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to find the answer or solution to; solve
to resolve a problem
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to explain away or dispel
to resolve a doubt
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to bring to an end; conclude
to resolve an argument
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med to cause (a swelling or inflammation) to subside, esp without the formation of pus
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(also intr) to follow (a dissonant note or chord) or (of a dissonant note or chord) to be followed by one producing a consonance
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chem to separate (a racemic mixture) into its optically active constituents
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physics
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to distinguish between (separate parts) of (an image) as in a microscope, telescope, or other optical instrument
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to separate (two adjacent peaks) in a spectrum by means of a spectrometer
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maths to split (a vector) into its components in specified directions
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an obsolete word for dissolve
noun
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something determined or decided; resolution
he had made a resolve to work all day
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firmness of purpose; determination
nothing can break his resolve
Usage
What are other ways to say resolve?
To resolve something is to come to a definite or earnest decision about it. How is it different from decide and determine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resolvesimple
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resolvessimple
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have resolvedperfect
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has resolvedperfect
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am resolvingprogressive
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are resolvingprogressive
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is resolvingprogressive
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have been resolvingperfect progressive
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has been resolvingperfect progressive
Past
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resolvedsimple
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had resolvedperfect
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was resolvingprogressive
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were resolvingprogressive
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had been resolvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resolve
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English verb resolven “to alter, loosen, temper,” from Latin resolvere “to unfasten, loosen, release,” equivalent to re- re- + solvere solve
Explanation
To resolve is to settle or make a decision about something — often formal. A college's board of directors might resolve to recruit more minority students. As a noun, resolve refers to a strong determination to do something. If you make a New Year's resolution to exercise every day, you'll need plenty of resolve to stick with your program. The verb descends from Middle English resolven "to dissolve," from Latin resolvere "to untie." In English, the obsolete sense of "to dissolve" can be seen in this line from Shakespeare: "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew."
Vocabulary lists containing resolve
Words for a New Year
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List 7
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19th Amendment (1920)
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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.
See Examples For:
Mold, in particular, can be a huge pain to resolve.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Our teams are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, we apologise for any disruption caused," the airport said early on Saturday.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Together, the evidence appears to resolve a long running dispute over whether original biological molecules can remain in extremely old fossils.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Lawmakers acknowledge the coming crisis—but a panel of experts won’t be sufficient to resolve it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Unable to resist the community’s resolve, Ann emerged from her room.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
No matter how such fighting resolves, many investors and executives say the era of cheaper AI is here to stay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Luckily, the illness resolves with antibiotics, and it’s not fatal.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Without a known source of the outbreak, medical experts say Americans should reconsider buying and eating certain foods until the outbreak resolves.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
"What we've shown is that if space-time has this non-trivial topology, then it resolves one of the deadliest problems of the cosmological constant," said study co-author Stephon Alexander, a professor of physics at Brown.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
He resolves to call her and ask point-blank: Are you coming or not?
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Salazar said Jester had worked hard in juvenile hall to earn a high school diploma and had resolved to stay out of trouble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"Regional issues should be resolved by regional actors, and with this action, we consider that we have taken a first step toward achieving that goal," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
"I don't know when this will be resolved, so I can restart a normal life. It feels endless."
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Drivers in Hawaii and California were last year almost twice as likely not to get paid on a resolved claim as those in Michigan, the analysis found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
During this period, too, the city fathers resolved to change Durham’s reputation as a manufacturing center with no culture.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Joan Vila-Grau’s brilliantly hued stained-glass windows seem suspended between abstraction and figuration, never resolving the tension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
That case was considered a bellwether that could have set the tone for resolving thousands of similar lawsuits across the country.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
But he was cleared to return to action last week after resolving his case with the Football Association.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Most investment contracts include an arbitration clause for resolving disputes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
We were busy almost all the time, with work, study, resolving disputes.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
