Meaning & use
resist
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To stop yourself from doing something you are tempted to do.
Grammar: Takes a direct object or an -ing form with no to: resist temptation, resist eating cake.
Patterns
- resist something
- resist doing something
I could not resist the smell of fresh bread.
She resisted the urge to check her phone.
He couldn't resist telling her the surprise.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To fight against or refuse to accept something such as a change, an order or an attack.
Grammar: With an object for the thing opposed: resist the plan; with none, it means putting up a fight: the villagers resisted.
Patterns
- resist something
- resist arrest
Many workers resisted the new schedule.
The army resisted the attack for three days.
He was charged with resisting arrest.
verbtransitive
To remain unharmed by something, such as heat, damage or disease.
Grammar: The subject is a material or organism: the coating resists water.
Patterns
- resist something
This paint resists heat up to 200 degrees.
Some bacteria can resist common antibiotics.
The old stone walls resisted the storm.
Word forms
| third person singular | resists |
|---|---|
| past tense | resisted |
| past participle | resisted |
| -ing form | resisting |
Common combinations
- resist temptation
- It is hard to resist temptation when dessert is free.
- resist the urge
- He resisted the urge to reply to the rude message.
- resist change
- Some managers resist change out of habit.
- resist arrest
- The suspect did not resist arrest.
- strongly resist
- Local residents strongly resist the plan for a new road.
Synonyms and how they differ
- oppose
- Oppose means to speak or act against something, while resist suggests actively holding out against pressure.
- withstand
- Withstand is used for surviving force or hardship, whereas resist can also be about refusing a temptation.
- defy
- Defy means to openly disobey or challenge, which is bolder than simply resisting.
Opposites
Word family
- resistance noun
- the act of resisting, or a force that opposes
- resistant adjective
- not harmed by, or opposed to something
- resistible adjective
- able to be resisted
- irresistible adjective
- too attractive or strong to resist
Commonly confused: resist or persist?
resist vs persist
Persist means to continue doing something despite difficulty, while resist means to oppose or hold out against something.
Practice
The sign said the new fabric can ___ stains from coffee and juice.
Choose one answer.
Resist means to remain unaffected by something like a stain. Assist, insist and consist have very different meanings and do not take stains as an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “resist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.