Resistance to something such as a change or a new idea is a refusal to accept it.
The U.S. wants big cuts in European agricultural export subsidies, but this is meetingresistance.
[Also + to]
2. uncountable noun
Resistance to an attack consists of fighting back against the people who have attacked you.
The troops are encountering stiff resistance.
Police in riot gear cleared the noisy demonstrators, who offered no resistance.
[Also + to]
3. uncountable noun
The resistance of your body to germs or diseases is its power to remain unharmed or unaffected by them.
This disease is surprisingly difficult to catch as most people have a natural resistanceto it. [+ to]
4. uncountable noun
Wind or air resistance is a force which slows down a moving object or vehicle.
The design of the bicycle has managed to reduce the effects of wind resistance anddrag.
5. variable noun
In electrical engineering or physics, resistance is the ability of a substance or an electrical circuit to stop the flow of an electrical current through it.
...materials that lose all their electrical resistance.
6. singular noun
In a country which is occupied by the army of another country, or which has a very harsh and strict government, the resistance is an organized group of people who are involved in illegal activities against the people in power.
They managed to escape after being arrested by the resistance.
7.
See the line of least resistance
More Synonyms of resistance
resistance in British English
(rɪˈzɪstəns)
noun
1.
the act or an instance of resisting
2.
the capacity to withstand something, esp the body's natural capacity to withstand disease
3.
a.
the opposition to a flow of electric current through a circuit component, medium, or substance. It is the magnitude of the real part of the impedance and is measured in ohms
Symbol: R. Compare reactance (sense 1)
b.
(as modifier)
resistance coupling
a resistance thermometer
4.
any force that tends to retard or oppose motion
air resistance
wind resistance
5.
(in psychoanalytical theory) the tendency of a person to prevent the translation of repressed thoughts and ideas from the unconscious to the conscious and esp to resist the analyst's attempt to bring this about
6. physics
the magnitude of the real part of the acoustic or mechanical impedance
7. line of least resistance
8. passive resistance
Resistance in British English
(rɪˈzɪstəns)
noun
the Resistance
resistance in American English
(rɪˈzɪstəns)
noun
1.
the act of resisting, opposing, withstanding, etc.
2.
power or capacity to resist; specif., the ability of an organism to ward off disease
3.
opposition of some force, thing, etc. to another or others
4.
a force that retards, hinders, or opposes motion
5. [oftenR-]
the organized underground movement in a country fighting against a foreign occupying power, a dictatorship, etc., as in France during the Nazi occupation
6. Electricity
a.
the property of a component by which it resists the flow of electricity, usually measured in ohms and equal to the ratio of the voltage to the current: it is the reciprocal of conductance (abbrev. R)
see also impedance
b.
resistor
7. Psychoanalysis
the active psychological opposition to the bringing of unconscious, usually repressed, material to consciousness
Word origin
ME < MFr resistence < LL resistentia
resistance in Electrical Engineering
(rɪzɪstəns) or R
noun
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Electrical power, Computing and control)
Resistance is a measure of the opposition to electrical flow in DC systems, counted in ohms.
As batteries age and fail, their internal resistance will typically increase because the plate surface can sulfate or shed active material,which adversely affects its ability to perform.
DC resistance will limit the amount of direct current the device can carry without overheating,or without saturating.
Resistance is a measure of the opposition to electrical flow in DC systems, counted in ohms.
COBUILD Collocations
resistance
antibiotic resistance
disease resistance
fierce resistance
wind resistance
Examples of 'resistance' in a sentence
resistance
By the time she was dragged outside and tied to the car she was incapable of offering resistance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And of course an inbuilt resistance to heart disease, lung cancer and thrombosis.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Doctors say improved cleanliness has lowered people 's natural resistance to bacteria and dust that cause common allergies.
The Sun (2016)
He is an intelligence officer while she is a French Resistance fighter.
The Sun (2016)
They suffer less cancer, heart disease and insulin resistance, experts found.
The Sun (2017)
The idea of paying for access is meeting strong resistance from Brexiteers on the Tory benches.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Colour, scent and habit are generally the main drivers, while repeat flowering and disease resistance are essential for some and bonuses for others.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The forces of resistance were not so narrowly confined as the enemy supposed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Some attempts to modernise the game have met stiff resistance.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Yet in no other country is resistance to profits so great.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
But resistance continued as government tanks emerged from a bunker.
The Sun (2011)
The "red shirts" offered resistance and street battles ensued.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
This results in reduced resistance to diseases such as pneumonia and can be fatal.
McCahill, T. A. Biology Basic Facts (1982)
The heads of at least a dozen resistance fighters and soldiers had been tossed to one side.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Santa might also reduce air resistance by manufacturing the presents in outer space.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Holidaymakers would benefit more from building up natural resistance days before boarding an aircraft.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When tender a sharp knife will go through the thickest part without resistance.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Similar examples can be given for lowering blood pressure and reducing the electrical resistance ofthe skin.
Chaitow, Leon The Beat Fatigue Workbook - how to identify the causes (1988)
And cracks begin to show in their patience when they meet resistance from their local council.
The Sun (2011)
Where will the strongest resistance to change come from?
Kantrow, Alan M. The Constraints of Corporate Tradition (1987)
This alliance had as its chief purpose heading off popular resistance movements.
Henry, John F The Making of Neoclassical Economics (1990)
Muscle is important for health as well as body shape and resistance work is by far the best way to do it.
Sally Gunnell, Kathryn Leigh BE YOUR BEST: How Anyone can become Fit, Healthy and Confident (2002)
They belong to a secret resistance army that is the nation's last defence.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Little was known of the effectiveness of resistance groups in Bulgaria.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
As her husband's forces butcher the resistance she takes the family on holiday.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Wind resistance increases with speed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We need a full-back with power and resistance, and he has all these skills.
The Sun (2010)
Except that the moral choices made by members of the French Resistance were anything but simple.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Resistance, like power, is multifaceted.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
In other languages
resistance
British English: resistance /rɪˈzɪstəns/ NOUN
Resistance to a change or a new idea is a refusal to accept it.
...his stubborn resistance to anything new.
American English: resistance
Arabic: مُقاوَمَة
Brazilian Portuguese: resistência
Chinese: 抵抗
Croatian: otpor
Czech: odpor vůči novému
Danish: modstand
Dutch: weerstand
European Spanish: resistencia oposición
Finnish: vastustus
French: résistance
German: Widerstand
Greek: αντίσταση
Italian: resistenza
Japanese: 抵抗
Korean: 저항
Norwegian: motstand
Polish: opór
European Portuguese: resistência
Romanian: opoziție
Russian: сопротивление
Latin American Spanish: resistencia aguante
Swedish: motstånd
Thai: การต่อต้าน
Turkish: direnme
Ukrainian: опір
Vietnamese: sự chống cự
All related terms of 'resistance'
the Resistance
an illegal organization fighting for national liberty in a country under enemy occupation , esp in France during World War II
wind resistance
Wind or air resistance is a force which slows down a moving object or vehicle.
cross-resistance
immunologic resistance to the pathogenic effects of a microorganism because of previous exposure to another species or type having cross-reactive antigens
disease resistance
The resistance of your body to germs or diseases is its power to remain unharmed or unaffected by them.
fierce resistance
Resistance to something such as a change or a new idea is a refusal to accept it.
natural resistance
Immunology See natural immunity
passive resistance
resistance to a government, law, etc, made without violence , as by fasting , demonstrating peacefully, or refusing to cooperate
resistance fighter
someone who fights (for freedom , etc) against an invader in an occupied country, or against their government, etc, often secretly or illegally
resistance level
a point at which the rise in price of a specific stock is arrested due to more substantial selling than buying
resistance plasmid
any of a group of bacterial plasmids carrying genetic information that provide resistance to antibiotic drugs: some resistance plasmids are able to transfer themselves, and hence resistance, during conjugation
resistance welding
a welding technique in which the parts to be joined are held together under pressure and heat is produced by passing a current through the contact resistance formed between the two surfaces
rolling resistance
The rolling resistance of a wheel or ball is its resistance to movement caused by friction between it and the surface it is rolling on.
sales resistance
opposition of potential customers to selling, esp aggressive selling
antibiotic resistance
The resistance of your body to germs or diseases is its power to remain unharmed or unaffected by them.
consumer resistance
the unwillingness of consumers to adopt a particular product, service, or change
internal resistance
the resistance of a cell, accumulator , etc, usually given as ( E - V )/ I , where E is the emf of the cell, and V the potential difference between terminals when it is delivering a current I
negative resistance
a characteristic of certain electronic components in which an increase in the applied voltage increases the resistance , producing a proportional decrease in current
parasite resistance
the part of the drag on an aircraft that is contributed by nonlifting surfaces, such as fuselage , nacelles , etc
radiation resistance
the resistive component of the impedance of a radio transmitting aerial that arises from the radiation of power
resistance movement
a movement fighting (for freedom , etc), often secretly or illegally, against an invader in an occupied country or against the country's government, etc
resistance thermometer
an accurate type of thermometer in which temperature is calculated from the resistance of a coil of wire (usually of platinum ) or of a semiconductor placed at the point at which the temperature is to be measured
resistance training
physical training that utilizes isometric , isotonic , or isokinetic exercise to strengthen or develop the muscles
specific resistance
the electrical property of a material that determines the resistance of a piece of given dimensions . It is equal to RA / l , where R is the resistance, A the cross-sectional area, and l the length, and is the reciprocal of conductivity . It is measured in ohms
antimicrobial resistance
the ability of an organism to resist the actions of the class of drugs that destroys or inhibits the growth of disease-causing microbes
pièce de résistance
The pi èce de r ésistance of a collection or series of things is the most impressive thing in it.
line of least resistance
the easiest , but not necessarily the best or most honourable , course of action
the line of least resistance
If you take the line of least resistance in a situation , you do what is easiest , even though you think that it may not be the right thing to do. In American English, you usually talk about the path of least resistance .