resist
[verb]
Synonyms:
- oppose, battle, combat, defy, hinder, stand up to
- refrain from, abstain from, avoid, forbear, forgo, keep from
- withstand, be proof against

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Antonyms: submit, yield
Contrasted words: bow, capitulate, surrender
Related Words: assail, assault, attack, contradict, contravene, gainsay, impugn, baffle, balk, foil, frustrate, thwart, check, counter, hinder, obstruct, stem

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English Thesaurus: oppose, be against something/be opposed to something, not agree with something, object, resist, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧sist W3 /rɪˈzɪst/ verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: resistere, from sistere 'to stop']

1. [intransitive, transitive usually in negatives] to stop yourself from having something that you like very much or doing something that you want to do
cannot resist (doing) something
I just can’t resist chocolate.
She can never resist buying new shoes.
it is hard/difficult/impossible to resist something
It’s hard to resist an invitation like that.
resist the temptation/urge to do something
She resisted the temptation to laugh.
They only wanted 3 dollars for it, so how could I resist?

2. [transitive] to try to prevent a change from happening, or prevent yourself from being forced to do something:
He resisted pressure to resign.
resist doing something
For months the company has resisted changing its accounts system.
strongly/fiercely/vigorously etc resist
The proposal was strongly resisted by the police.

3. [intransitive and transitive] to use force to stop something from happening
strongly/fiercely/firmly etc resist
Demonstrators violently resisted attempts to remove them from the building.
He was charged with trying to resist arrest.

4. [transitive] to not be changed or harmed by something:
your ability to resist infection

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

resist
verb
ADV. fiercely, firmly, resolutely, strenuously, strongly, vigorously | successfully They successfully resisted pressure from their competitors to increase prices.
naturally People naturally resist change.
stubbornly | passively The civil population passively resisted.
physically | at first, initially, so far He has so far resisted pressure to resign.
VERB + RESIST be able/unable to, can/could (hardly), can't/couldn't (easily) She could hardly resist the urge to turn and run. Trends in the national economy confront firms with pressures they cannot easily resist.
can/could never, can/could no longer | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | try to | manage to | be determined to | be helpless to, be powerless to She was powerless to resist the attraction that she felt to him.
tend to
PHRASES the strength to resist sth

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

resist

resist the temptation to do something
He resisted the temptation to look back.
resist the urge/impulse to do something
Bob resisted the urge to touch her hand.
resist the lure of something (=resist its attractive quality)
Bond could never resist the lure of a beautiful woman.
resist a challenge
Mr Taylor is a man who cannot resist a challenge.
cannot resist (doing) something
I couldn't resist teasing him.
be unable to resist (doing) something
He was unable to resist the temptation to smoke.
hard/difficult to resist
The temptation to follow them was hard to resist.
impossible to resist
The urge to give him a hug was almost impossible to resist.
resist pressure
The Chancellor resisted pressure to increase taxes.
resist an attempt to do something
The rest of the board resisted his attempts to change the way things were done.
resist change
People resist change because they fear the unknown.
strongly/vigorously/strenuously
Barcelona strongly resisted moves by rival clubs to sign their star players.
fiercely
The proposed change has been fiercely resisted by car companies.
stubbornly
They stubbornly resisted all attempts to modernize the factory.
successfully
He successfully resisted a challenge to his leadership.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

resist
verb
1.
BAD: She couldn't resist his rudeness any longer and walked out of the room.
GOOD: She couldn't stand his rudeness any longer and walked out of the room.

Usage Note:
resist = fight against; oppose: 'We shall resist any changes that threaten our personal freedom.'
can't stand/bear (= be unable to tolerate): 'I'd like to live in Africa but I don't think I could bear the heat.'

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2.
BAD: The old couple resisted to all the pressure that was put on them to move.
GOOD: The old couple resisted all the pressure that was put on them to move.
BAD: Without weapons there was no way of resisting against the attack.
GOOD: Without weapons there was no way of resisting the attack.

Usage Note:
resist sb/sth (WITHOUT to/against ): 'By resisting the Mafia's attempts to control the region, Dolci was putting his own life in danger.'
Compare: 'Much of the resistance to social and political change comes from people who oppose the government.' (noun + to )

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

oppose to think that a plan or idea is wrong, and to try to prevent it from happening or succeeding:
Hundreds of people wrote to oppose the scheme.
The other parties opposed the bill.
be against something/be opposed to something to think that something is wrong and should not be allowed:
I used to be against the death penalty.
Most people are opposed to the privatization of the city’s public transportation system.
not agree with something to think that something is wrong:
I don’t agree with training animals for entertainment.
object to say or feel that something is wrong:
No one objected to the proposals.
She strongly objects to being told what to do.
resist to try to prevent a change from happening, or prevent yourself from being forced to do something:
People often resist change, when they have been used to doing things in a certain way for a long time.
She resisted all attempts to teach her how to cook.
anti- opposed to something – used in adjectives:
antiwar protesters
an anti-slavery movement

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲