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resist Definition

re·sist (ri zist′)

transitive verb

  1. to withstand; oppose; fend off; stand firm against; withstand the action of
    1. to oppose actively; fight, argue, or work against
    2. to refuse to cooperate with, submit to, etc. to resist conscription
  3. to keep from yielding to, being affected by, or enjoying to resist temptation

Etymology: ME resisten < MFr resister < L resistere < re-, back + sistere, to set, caus. of stare, to stand

intransitive verb

to oppose or withstand something; offer resistance

noun

a substance that resists, esp. something applied as a protective coating

resist Related Forms
re·sist′er noun
resist Synonyms

resist

v.

  1. To stand firm against

    withstand, hold, remain, maintain, endure, bear, continue, persist, obtain, stay, brook, suffer, weather, abide, tolerate, be unalterable, be immune, be unsusceptible, be strong, persevere, last, oppose change, bear up against, stand up to, put up a struggle, hold off, repel, remain firm, hold one's ground, be proof against, keep from yielding to, refrain from, abstain from, fight to the last ditch*, die hard*, arch one's back*, not take lying down*.

    Antonyms submit, yield, succumb.

  2. To oppose

    combat, fight back, counter; see oppose 1, 2.

resist Usage Examples

Object

  • temptation: Water drained away, couldn't resist the temptation to dig.
  • urge: In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this.
  • eviction: Starting mid-May, the protest camp resisted eviction for 4 weeks.
  • lure: She is pleased that Confusions has given her a reason to resist the permanent lure of Queens ' Ents.
  • arrest: Lee broken mikes fronting slack Punk they cut a smile into our faces with still half an audience resisting arrest.
  • attempt: Despite such a determined onslaught, BSL has resisted countless attempts to suppress it.

Used with why or when

  • when: Its an impulse hard to resist when you know so much of its amazing 75 year history!

Present participle complement

  • crease: Natural fibers allow your skin to breathe, and shed moisture while synthetic fibers help the fabric to resist creasing.
  • bend: The dowel mechanism is created from the vertical rebars resisting bending at the moment of shear failure.
  • crack: The glass fibers, which are chopped in situ by specially designed applicator vehicles, give tensile strength to the surface and resist cracking.
  • slip: The reshaped seat is flatter and uses a new seat cover texture that resists slipping.
  • try: Naturally I couldn't resist trying an Old Dick.
  • throw: Prince is not only asserting his total artistic control but publicly displaying his inability to resist throwing a very heavy spanner into his works.

Modifying Another Word

  • fiercely: With other Caucasian tribes they fiercely resisted Russian conquest in the nineteenth century.
  • strenuously: Her claims have been strenuously resisted by H, his brother and his father.
  • vigorously: British pharmaceutical companies - which vigorously resist disclosure of safety data in the UK - regularly use the American Freedom of Information Act.
  • strongly: The company has strongly resisted our claim for additional payments for acceptance of new technology.
  • successfully: Skyros ' soul had successfully resisted the market's designer spirituality.
  • bitterly: This would be bitterly resisted by both Sunnis and Kurds.

Adjective complement

  • evil: Resist not evil, and render good for evil,... were first preached in view of the implacability of Karmic law.
resist Quotes

I can resist everything except temptation.

—Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'FlahertieWills

We resist only what is inevitable.

—Miller, Henry Valentine

Submit yourselvesthereforeto God,Resistthe devil, and he will flee from you.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

—Bible (NewTestament)

I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them.

—de Gaulle, Charles