Meaning of word resist

1

2

: something (such as a coating) that protects against a chemical, electrical, or physical action

combat stresses the forceful or urgent countering of something.

resist implies an overt recognition of a hostile or threatening force and a positive effort to counteract or repel it.

withstand suggests a more passive resistance.

Example Sentences

Word History

Cite this Entry

“Resist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resist. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

• Bulgarian: съпротивлявам се (sǎprotivljavam se)
• Catalan: resistir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: vastustaa (fi)
• French: résister (fr)
• German: widerstreben (de)
• Greek: ανθίσταμαι (el) (anthístamai)

  Ancient: ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)

• Hungarian: szembeszegül, szembeszáll (hu)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} cuir in aghaidh, ^{(please verify)} cuir in éadan, ^{(please verify)} cuir i gcoinne
• Latin: renītor, adversor, refrāgor
• Russian: ока́зывать сопротивле́ние impf (okázyvatʹ soprotivlénije), оказа́ть сопротивле́ние pf (okazátʹ soprotivlénije)
• Slovene: upirati se impf
• Spanish: resistir (es)
• Thai: ต้าน (th) (dtâan)

• Arabic: قَاوَمَ‎ (qāwama)
• Armenian: դիմադրել (hy) (dimadrel), դիմակայել (hy) (dimakayel)
• Belarusian: супраціўля́цца impf (supraciŭljácca), процістая́ць impf (procistajácʹ), праці́віцца impf (pracívicca)
• Bulgarian: устоявам (bg) (ustojavam)
• Catalan: resistir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 抵抗 (zh) (dǐkàng), 反抗 (zh) (fǎnkàng), 抵制 (zh) (dǐzhì)

• Czech: odolat (cs)
• Dutch: weerstaan (nl), zich verzetten
• Esperanto: rezisti
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: kestää (fi), vastustaa (fi)
• French: résister (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: widerstehen (de)
• Greek: αντιστέκομαι (el) (antistékomai), ανθίσταμαι (el) (anthístamai)

  Ancient: ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)

• Hebrew: התנגד‎ (he) m (hitnagéd), עמד ב־‎ (amád be-)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: ellenáll (hu)
• Icelandic: please add this translation if you can
• Irish: seas
• Japanese: 抗う (ja) (aragau), 抵抗する (ja) (teikō suru), 反抗する (ja) (hankō suru), 耐える (ja) (kotaeru)
• Kannada: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: please add this translation if you can

• Latin: obnitor
• Macedonian: издржи (izdrži)
• Maltese: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: ātete, whakawhena
• Norwegian: motstå
• Occitan: resistir (oc)
• Old Saxon: witharstandan
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: opierać się (pl) impf
• Portuguese: resistir (pt), aguentar (pt)
• Romanian: rezista (ro)
• Russian: сопротивля́ться (ru) (soprotivljátʹsja), противостоя́ть (ru) (protivostojátʹ), проти́виться (ru) (protívitʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: cum ri
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: odolávať impf, odolať pf
• Slovene: upirati se impf, zoperstavljati se impf
• Spanish: resistir (es)
• Swedish: motstå (sv), stå emot (sv)
• Tagalog: please add this translation if you can
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Telugu: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: ต่อต้าน (th) (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan), ต้านทาน (th) (dtâan-taan)
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: direnmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: опира́тися impf (opyrátysja), проти́витися impf (protývytysja), протистоя́ти impf (protystojáty)
• Vietnamese: chống cự (vi)
• Welsh: gwrthsefyll (cy)
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

• Bulgarian: противопоставям се (protivopostavjam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: vastustaa (fi)
• French: s’opposer (fr), rejeter (fr)
• German: widerstreiten (de)
• Greek: αντιστέκομαι (el) (antistékomai), εναντιώνομαι (el) (enantiónomai)

  Ancient: ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)

• Hungarian: ellenkezik (hu), ellenáll (hu)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} an fód a sheasamh, ^{(please verify)} cos a chur i dtaca
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: ต่อต้าน (th) (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan), คัดค้าน (th) (kát-káan), ค้าน (th) (káan)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: etoa (fi)
• French: dégoûter (fr)
• German: zuwider sein
• Russian: при́торный (ru) (prítornyj)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

• Bulgarian: предпазен пласт m (predpazen plast)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 抗蝕劑／抗蚀剂 (kàngshíjì), 防染劑／防染剂 (fángrǎnjì)

• French: vernis (fr) m
• German: Deckmittel n
• Irish: friotán m
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	resist — elude, especially in a baffling way; «This behavior defies explanation» defy, refuse beggar — be beyond the resources of; «This beggars description!» elude, escape — be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by; «What you are seeing in him eludes me»
	2.	resist — stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something stand firm, withstand, hold out fight down, oppose, fight, fight back, defend — fight against or resist strongly; «The senator said he would oppose the bill»; «Don’t fight it!» stand out — be stubborn in resolution or resistance stand up — refuse to back down; remain solid under criticism or attack outbrave — resist bravely; «He outbraved the enemy» hold off — resist and fight to a standoff; «Dallas had enough of a lead to hold the Broncos off» remain firm, stand — hold one’s ground; maintain a position; be steadfast or upright; «I am standing my ground and won’t give in!» defy, withstand, hold up, hold — resist or confront with resistance; «The politician defied public opinion»; «The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear»; «The bridge held» surrender, give up — give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another; «The last Taleban fighters finally surrendered»
	3.	resist — express opposition through action or words; «dissent to the laws of the country» dissent, protest controvert, contradict, oppose — be resistant to; «The board opposed his motion» walk out, strike — stop work in order to press demands; «The auto workers are striking for higher wages»; «The employees walked out when their demand for better benefits was not met» demonstrate, march — march in protest; take part in a demonstration; «Thousands demonstrated against globalization during the meeting of the most powerful economic nations in Seattle» rebel, rise up, arise, rise — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance renegade, rebel — break with established customs
	4.	resist — withstand the force of something; «The trees resisted her»; «stand the test of time»; «The mountain climbers had to fend against the ice and snow» fend, stand fight down, oppose, fight, fight back, defend — fight against or resist strongly; «The senator said he would oppose the bill»; «Don’t fight it!» remain firm, stand — hold one’s ground; maintain a position; be steadfast or upright; «I am standing my ground and won’t give in!»
	5.	resist — resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ; «His body rejected the liver of the donor» refuse, reject react, respond — show a response or a reaction to something
	6.	resist — refuse to comply       balk, baulk, jib disobey — refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient; «He disobeyed his supervisor and was fired»

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

resist

verb

1. oppose, fight, battle against, refuse, check, weather, dispute, confront, combat, defy, curb, thwart, stand up to, hinder, contend with, counteract, hold out against, put up a fight (against), countervail They resisted our attempts to modernize distribution.
oppose accept, welcome, yield to, submit to, surrender to, give in to, succumb to, cave in to (informal), acquiesce to

3. refrain from, refuse, avoid, turn down, leave alone, keep from, forgo, abstain from, forbear, prevent yourself from Try to resist giving him advice.
refrain from enjoy, indulge in, give in to, surrender to

4. withstand, weather, counter, combat, repel, be resistant to, be impervious to, be proof against bodies trained to resist the cold

cannot resist enjoy, like, love, relish, adore, delight in, be very keen on, be partial to, take great pleasure in, have a weakness for, be addicted to He cannot resist a bit of excitement.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

resist

verb

1. To oppose actively and with force:

2. To take a stand against:

The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

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re•sist /rɪˈzɪst/USA pronunciation  
v. 

1. to withstand, fight, or work against;
   oppose: [~ + object]The armies resisted the invasion.[no object]The army was ordered to resist.
2. to withstand the action or effect of:[~ + object]The engine oil resists corrosion.
3. to keep or stop oneself from (doing) something: [~ + object]The kids couldn’t resist the chocolates.[~ + verb-ing]They couldn’t resist peeking under the curtain.

re•sist•er, n. [countable]See -sist-.

re•sist 
(ri zist′),USA pronunciation v.t. 

1. to withstand, strive against, or oppose:to resist infection; to resist temptation.
2. to withstand the action or effect of:to resist spoilage.
3. to refrain or abstain from, esp. with difficulty or reluctance:They couldn’t resist the chocolates.

v.i.

1. to make a stand or make efforts in opposition;
   act in opposition;
   offer resistance.

n.

1. Chemistrya substance that prevents or inhibits some effect from taking place, as a coating on a surface of a metallic printing plate that prevents or inhibits corrosion of the metal by acid.
2. Textilesa chemically inert substance used in resist printing.

re•sist′er, n. 
re•sist′ing•ly, adv. 

• 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged confront, counteract, rebuff. See oppose. 

resist /rɪˈzɪst/ vb

1. to stand firm (against); not yield (to); fight (against)
2. (transitive) to withstand the deleterious action of; be proof against: to resist corrosion
3. (transitive) to oppose; refuse to accept or comply with: to resist arrest, to resist the introduction of new technology
4. (transitive) to refrain from, esp in spite of temptation (esp in the phrases cannot or could not resist (something))

n

1. a substance used to protect something, esp a coating that prevents corrosion

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin resistere to stand still, oppose, from re- + sistere to stand firm

reˈsistible adj reˌsistiˈbility n reˈsistibly adv