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:
The settlement also includes more than $36 million to resolve claims made by state government programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
In the largest settlement reviewed by the BBC, the University of Tennessee agreed to pay $1.9m to resolve a lawsuit brought by anthropologist Tamar Shirinian, over her "better off" comment.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Blocking sEH increased epoxy-oxylipin levels, helped pain resolve more quickly, and sharply reduced the number of intermediate monocytes found in both the blood and tissue.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
What the officials told the world to do was to come shop” and support lower Manhattan to show the terrorists that the city — and America — had resolve.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
I resolve to seek out normalcy, and decide to hang out with another friend, Sofia Rodriguez, who wasn’t answering texts last night.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Additionally, some coverage directly challenges the idea that Newsom’s ideological positioning resolves questions about electability, arguing that he remains squeezed between factions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
The artwork, called I'm Mr Mercury, is anamorphic, meaning the image only resolves when viewed from a single marked spot about 65ft away.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The new study resolves many long-standing questions, but Scherz views it as the start of a much larger effort.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The expected plea potentially resolves the federal case just a month before Mangione is scheduled to go to trial in state court on murder and other charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
He resolves to call her and ask point-blank: Are you coming or not?
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
A representative for Walter’s conglomerate, TWG Global, has said the company is proud of the business it built and “confident these matters will be resolved favorably.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Matthews said until the Blythe prison site’s infrastructure is separated from neighboring Ironwood State Prison and its bond obligations are resolved, the property can’t move through the state’s process for dispensing with surplus property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni also called for the matter to be resolved "and to favour unity over division".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
"If you start looking at long-lived species like elephants, whales and bats, you start finding ways that nature has actually already resolved a lot of these problems in human health," Vazquez added.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
In the prayer following the chapter, all his energy gathered—all his stern zeal woke: he was in deep earnest, wrestling with God, and resolved on a conquest.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
In Thurman’s case, despite clear signs of an ectopic pregnancy, two emergency departments sent her home without resolving the complication.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Better understanding may hold the key to resolving the current large uncertainty in the projected sea-level rise over the next couple of centuries.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The start date allowed for additional time to deal with matters of the court, such as resolving any disputes about what evidence can be presented, the judge wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Contacts through the intelligence services are a positive development in and of themselves. It is too early to say how this will affect the process of resolving the crisis in our relations," Peskov said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
I grit my teeth and turn toward the target, resolving to at least stand still.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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.
