Meaning & use

resist

verb·Everyday

To refuse to accept, comply with, or give in to something, or to withstand its effect or force.

See it in a sentence

The old fortress was built thick enough to resist cannon fire for months.

He couldn't resist the smell of fresh bread coming from the bakery.

A note on using this word

Resist takes a direct object without 'to', so 'resist temptation' is correct while 'resist to temptation' is not.

Words with a similar meaning

withstandopposedefy

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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