resort
Americanverb (used without object)
-
resorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resorted,
past participle, past
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resorting
present participle
-
to have recourse for use, help, or accomplishing something, often as a final available option or resource.
to resort to war.
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to go, especially frequently or customarily.
a beach to which many people resort.
noun
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resorts
plural
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a place to which people frequently or generally go for relaxation or pleasure, especially one providing rest and recreation facilities for vacationers.
a popular winter resort.
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habitual or general going, as to a place or person.
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use of or appeal to some person or thing for aid, satisfaction, service, etc.; resource.
to have resort to force;
a court of last resort.
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a person or thing resorted to for aid, satisfaction, service, etc.
verb
-
(usually foll by to) to have recourse (to) for help, use, etc
to resort to violence
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to go, esp often or habitually; repair
to resort to the beach
noun
-
a place to which many people go for recreation, rest, etc
a holiday resort
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the use of something as a means, help, or recourse
-
the act of going to a place, esp for recreation, rest, etc
-
the last possible course of action open to one
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resortsimple
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resortssimple
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have resortedperfect
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has resortedperfect
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am resortingprogressive
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are resortingprogressive
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is resortingprogressive
-
have been resortingperfect progressive
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has been resortingperfect progressive
Past
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resortedsimple
-
had resortedperfect
-
was resortingprogressive
-
were resortingprogressive
-
had been resortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resort
First recorded in 1325–75; (for the verb) Middle English resorten, from Old French resortir, from re- re- + sortir “to go out, leave, escape” (perhaps ultimately from Latin sortīrī “to draw lots”); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
The noun resort means "turning to something or someone else for assistance." You tried everything to figure out your math homework on your own, so asking your dad for help was your last resort. Resort, pronounced "re-ZORT," is also a verb that means "to adopt a course of action to improve your situation." It's when you use that last resort: if you can't convince your mom to let you go rock-climbing, you will resort to begging. Resort also means a fancy hotel, usually in a very scenic location, or a place you go often — when your friends didn't know where you were, they checked your resorts: the gym and the park.
Vocabulary lists containing resort
"Arachne"
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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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:
Fall activities are just around the corner, so Jason Gay is celebrating the youth sports parents—those who don’t resort to screaming at teen refs or fistfighting in the parking lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
If you’re not sure how much misbehavior a few friends can get up to at a luxury resort spa, you haven’t met Isla Fisher’s Mel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Pope Leo XIV will travel to the tiny republic of San Marino on Saturday before attending a cultural and political event organised by an influential Catholic group at an Italian seaside resort.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Treasury, the global lender of last resort, is losing control of long-term rates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The rhetorical questions had a clammy air; the exclamation mark was the first resort of those who shout to make themselves clearer.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Most notable among the new and renovated Guerneville resorts: Dawn Ranch and the River Electric, both with a glamping focus, both with docks on the river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A fleet of small boats evacuated about 500 tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire threatened two popular resorts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro, who previously ran the company’s parks and resorts operations, has given priority to creating new experiences and significantly increasing its number of cruise ships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Greek island of Crete as wildfires fanned by strong winds menace tourist resorts and villages.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The bunk rooms and showers become icy; for lighting, the caretaker resorts to torches and candles.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
To tackle the severe droughts and water shortages that plague the country, Kazakhstan has resorted to cloud seeding, a weather modification method previously unseen in Central Asia.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Unable to find work or pay to see a doctor, he has resorted to recycling cans and bottles to support himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The hospital has also doubled up many of its single-occupancy hospital rooms, converted its gift shop to a procedure room and resorted to treating patients in what were once meditation and waiting rooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
He said it was with deep regret that the band had to cancel their slot, which they hardly ever resorted to.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
The doctors resorted to giving him nourishment with enemas several times a day.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
But resorting to litigation rather than negotiating a settlement to this trivial dispute could open a new source of pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
In mitigation, Elliott Stern told the court his client had tried to deal with the dispute without resorting to killing the fish.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
France's education minister, Edouard Geffray, announcing the measures, also said that some schools were resorting to municipal halls, libraries or other air-conditioned premises so that teaching could go on "in more suitable conditions".
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
“I chat with people,” Blankfein said of his method of gaining information for making decisions on possible trades, outlining that he will text someone back and forth before resorting to calling them.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
I won the first one, and Sonny won the second, hence why Malik’s salty butt is resorting to dirty tactics.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
