resource

[ ree-sawrs, -sohrs, -zawrs, -zohrs, ri-sawrs, -sohrs, -zawrs, -zohrs ]

/ ˈri sɔrs, -soʊrs, -zɔrs, -zoʊrs, rɪˈsɔrs, -ˈsoʊrs, -ˈzɔrs, -ˈzoʊrs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR resource ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a source of supply, support, or aid, especially one that can be readily drawn upon when needed.

resources, the collective wealth of a country or its means of producing wealth.

Usually resources. money, or any property that can be converted into money; assets.

Often resources. an available means afforded by the mind or one's personal capabilities: to have resource against loneliness.

an action or measure to which one may have recourse in an emergency; expedient.

capability in dealing with a situation or in meeting difficulties: a woman of resource.

Nearby words

resorption lacuna, resort, resorter, resound, resounding, resource, resourceful, resources, resp., respawn, respect

Origin of resource

1640–50; < French ressource, Old French ressourse, noun derivative of resourdre to rise up < Latin resurgere, equivalent to re- re- + surgere to rise up, lift; see resurge, source

SYNONYMS FOR resource

1, 5 resort.

5 means, contrivance, shift.

6 inventiveness, adapability, ingenuity, cleverness.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR resource ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

re·source·less, adjectivere·source·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for resource

We fight over their ownership and control, as if reality were a resource as scarce as the water and oil in Mad Max.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim|James Poulos|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She views music and pop culture as a resource for people to figure out where we are as a society.
From Church of Christ to Pansexual Rapper|Tyler Gillespie|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For those in the resource world, every ton of junk that goes into a landfill represents wasted energy.
Garbage In, Power Out|The Daily Beast|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And he used that resource to its fullest 128 years ago this week.
128 Years Old and Still a Looker: Happy Birthday to Lady Liberty|Elizabeth Mitchell|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And for that, it turned to the one resource it has in abundance—aside from seawater.
Sun+Water= High Tech Caribbean Luxury At The Cusinart Resort|The Daily Beast|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Unfortunately I have no resource but to believe it," he replied.
Verner's Pride|Mrs. Henry Wood
Whether the King has any resource left, or whether he will (as I rather think) acquiesce, God knows.
Memoirs of the Courts and Cabinets of George the Third|The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
These are the times that test the wit and diplomacy and resource of the girl behind the counter.
The Romance of a Great Store|Edward Hungerford
Mrs Oliphant, much younger than the others, seems to have been a woman of resource.
She Stands Accused|Victor MacClure
Had Sarah said, "Nature has failed me, but God is my resource," how different it would have been!
Notes on the Book of Genesis|Charles Henry Mackintosh

British Dictionary definitions for resource

resource

/ (rɪˈzɔːs, -ˈsɔːs) /

noun

capability, ingenuity, and initiative; quick-wittednessa man of resource

(often plural) a source of economic wealth, esp of a country (mineral, land, labour, etc) or business enterprise (capital, equipment, personnel, etc)

a supply or source of aid or support; something resorted to in time of need

a means of doing something; expedient

Derived Forms

resourceless, adjectiveresourcelessness, noun

Word Origin for resource

C17: from Old French ressourse relief, from resourdre to rise again, from Latin resurgere, from re- + surgere to rise

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