resort

 
Pronunciation: /rɪˈzɔːt/

noun

  • 1a place that is frequented for holidays or recreation or for a particular purpose: a seaside resort a health resort
  • [mass noun] archaic the tendency of a place to be frequented by many people: places of public resort
  • 2 [mass noun] the action of resorting to a course of action in a difficult situation: Germany and Italy tried to resolve their economic and social failures by resort to fascism workers may regard an all-out strike as a measure of last resort
  • [in singular] a course of action that is resorted to: her only resort is a private operation

verb

[no object] (resort to)
  • 1turn to and adopt (a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation: the duke was prepared to resort to force if negotiation failed
  • 2 formal go often or in large numbers to: local authorities have a duty to provide adequate sites for gypsies ‘residing in or resorting to’ their areas

Phrases

as a first (or last or final) resort

before anything else is attempted (or when all else has failed): practitioners use these medicines as a first resort the soldiers had orders not to shoot except as a last resort to save human life

in the last resort

ultimately: in the last resort what really moves us is our personal convictions
[suggested by French en dernier ressort]

Derivatives

resorter

noun

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting something one can turn to for assistance): from Old French resortir, from re- 'again' + sortir 'come or go out'. The sense 'place frequently visited' dates from the mid 18th century