Meanings
present singular third person resists · participle present resisting · participle past resisted · past resisted · first person past singular resisted · archaic present second person singular resistest · past second person singular resisted · archaic past second person singular resistedst · present singular third person resists · archaic present singular third person resisteth · past singular third person resisted · past plural resisted · past subjunctive resisted · participle present resisting · participle past resisted
- transitiveTo attempt to counter the actions or effects of.
Shepard: You could have resisted. You could have fought! Instead, you surrendered. You quit.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel1 more example
Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around.
2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21 - transitiveTo withstand the actions of.
The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC1 more example
At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them […]
1762, Charles Johnstone, The Reverie; or, A Flight to the Paradise of Fools, volume 2, Dublin: Printed by Dillon Chamberlaine, →OCLC, page 202 - obsoletetransitiveTo be distasteful to.
These cates resist me,
c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]
plural resists
- countableuncountableA protective coating or covering.
Keeping the ties loose ensures that the yarn can absorb the dye without creating a resist.
2026, Katherine Augustine, “Dyeing in the Baking Aisle”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 35
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo oppose; to refuse to accept.
More synonyms by meaning
verbstand up or offer resistance to somebody or something
verbexpress opposition through action or words
verbresist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinresistere
- Old Frenchresistre
- Middle Frenchresister
- Middle Englishresisten
- Englishresist
From Middle English resisten, from Middle French resister and Old French resistre, and their source, Latin resistere, from re- + sistere (“cause to stand”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀνθίστημι, ἀνθίστημι
- ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)to oppose
- ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)to withstand actions or effects of
Arabic قَاوَمَ
- قَاوَمَ (qāwama)to withstand actions or effects of
Bulgarian съпротивлявам се, противопоставям се
- съпротивлявам се (săprotivljavam se)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- противопоставям се (protivopostavjam se)to oppose
- устоявам (ustojavam)to withstand actions or effects of
- предпазен пласт (predpazen plast)protective coating or covering
Catalan resistir, abstenir
- resistirto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- abstenirto oppose
- resistirto withstand actions or effects of
Chinese Mandarin 抵制, 反對 /反对
- 抵制 (dǐzhì)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- 反對 /反对 (fǎnduì)to oppose
- 令人厭惡 /令人厌恶 (lìngrén yànwù)to be distasteful to
- 抵抗 (dǐkàng)to withstand actions or effects of
- 反抗 (fǎnkàng)to withstand actions or effects of
- 抵制 (dǐzhì)to withstand actions or effects of
- 抗蝕劑 /抗蚀剂 (kàngshíjì)protective coating or covering
- 防染劑 /防染剂 (fángrǎnjì)protective coating or covering
Czech odolat
- odolatto withstand actions or effects of
Danish modstå
- modståto withstand actions or effects of
Dutch weerstaan, zich verzetten
- weerstaanto withstand actions or effects of
- zich verzettento withstand actions or effects of
Esperanto rezisti, rezisti
- rezistito attempt to counter actions or effects of
- rezistito withstand actions or effects of
Finnish vastustaa, vastustaa
- vastustaato attempt to counter actions or effects of
- vastustaato oppose
- etoato be distasteful to
- kestääto withstand actions or effects of
- vastustaato withstand actions or effects of
- suojapinnoiteprotective coating or covering
French résister, s'opposer
- résisterto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- s'opposerto oppose
- rejeterto oppose
- empêcherto oppose
- dégoûterto be distasteful to
- résisterto withstand actions or effects of
- vernisprotective coating or covering
German widerstreben, widerstreiten
- widerstrebento attempt to counter actions or effects of
- widerstreitento oppose
- zuwider seinto be distasteful to
- widerstehento withstand actions or effects of
- Deckmittelprotective coating or covering
Greek ανθίσταμαι, αντιστέκομαι
- ανθίσταμαι (anthístamai)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- αντιστέκομαι (antistékomai)to oppose
- εναντιώνομαι (enantiónomai)to oppose
- αντιστέκομαι (antistékomai)to withstand actions or effects of
- ανθίσταμαι (anthístamai)to withstand actions or effects of
Hebrew התנגד, עמד ב־
- התנגד (hitnagéd)to withstand actions or effects of
- עמד ב־ (amád be-)to withstand actions or effects of
Hungarian szembeszegül, szembeszáll
- szembeszegülto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- szembeszállto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- ellenkezikto oppose
- ellenállto oppose
- ellenállto withstand actions or effects of
Irish seas, friotán
- seasto withstand actions or effects of
- friotánprotective coating or covering
Italian resistere, trattenere
- resistereto oppose
- trattenereto oppose
- astenereto oppose
Japanese 抗う, 抵抗する
- 抗う (aragau)to withstand actions or effects of
- 抵抗する (teikō suru)to withstand actions or effects of
- 反抗する (hankō suru)to withstand actions or effects of
- 耐える (kotaeru)to withstand actions or effects of
Latin renītor, adversor
- renītorto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- adversorto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- refrāgorto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- abstineōto oppose
- resistōto oppose
- obnitorto withstand actions or effects of
Māori ātete, ātete
- āteteto oppose
- āteteto withstand actions or effects of
- whakawhenato withstand actions or effects of
Norwegian motstå
- motståto withstand actions or effects of
Persian تاوستن
- تاوستن (tāvestan)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
Polish opierać się
- opierać sięto withstand actions or effects of
Portuguese abster, resistir
- absterto oppose
- resistirto oppose
- resistirto withstand actions or effects of
- aguentarto withstand actions or effects of
Romanian rezista
- rezistato withstand actions or effects of
Russian ока́зывать сопротивле́ние, оказа́ть сопротивле́ние
- ока́зывать сопротивле́ние (okázyvatʹ soprotivlénije)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- оказа́ть сопротивле́ние (okazátʹ soprotivlénije)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- при́торный (prítornyj)to be distasteful to
- сопротивля́ться (soprotivljátʹsja)to withstand actions or effects of
- противостоя́ть (protivostojátʹ)to withstand actions or effects of
- проти́виться (protívitʹsja)to withstand actions or effects of
Scottish Gaelic cum ri
- cum rito withstand actions or effects of
Slovak odolávať, odolať
- odolávaťto withstand actions or effects of
- odolaťto withstand actions or effects of
Spanish resistir, abstener
- resistirto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- abstenerto oppose
- resistirto oppose
- resistirto withstand actions or effects of
Swedish göra motstånd, motstå
- göra motståndto attempt to counter actions or effects of
- motståto withstand actions or effects of
- stå emotto withstand actions or effects of
Thai ต้าน, ต่อต้าน
- ต้าน (dtâan)to attempt to counter actions or effects of
- ต่อต้าน (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan)to oppose
- คัดค้าน (kát-káan)to oppose
- ค้าน (káan)to oppose
- ต่อต้าน (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan)to withstand actions or effects of
- ต้านทาน (dtâan-taan)to withstand actions or effects of
Turkish direnmek
- direnmekto withstand actions or effects of
Ukrainian опира́тися, проти́витися
- опира́тися (opyrátysja)to withstand actions or effects of
- проти́витися (protývytysja)to withstand actions or effects of
- протистоя́ти (protystojáty)to withstand actions or effects of
Vietnamese chống cự
- chống cựto withstand actions or effects of
Welsh gwrthsefyll
- gwrthsefyllto withstand actions or effects of
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with resist
Anagrams
Cite this entry
resist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resist
“resist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resist. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “resist,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resist.
Source: resist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.