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resist

Syllabification: (re·sist)
Pronunciation: /riˈzist/
Translate resist | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of resist

verb

[with object]
  • withstand the action or effect of:antibodies help us to resist infection
  • try to prevent by action or argument:we will continue to resist changes to the treaty
  • succeed in ignoring the attraction of (something wrong or unwise):she resisted his advances I couldn’t resist buying the blouse
  • [no object] struggle against someone or something:without giving her time to resist, he dragged her off her feet

noun

  • a resistant substance applied as a coating to protect a surface during some process, for example to prevent dye or glaze adhering.

Derivatives

resister

noun

resistible

adjective

resistibility

Pronunciation: /riˌzistəˈbilətē/
noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French resister or Latin resistere, from re- (expressing opposition) + sistere 'stop' (reduplication of stare 'to stand'). The current sense of the noun dates from the mid 19th century

resist in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of resist in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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