natural resource

noun

1

natural resources plural : industrial materials and capacities (such as mineral deposits and waterpower) supplied by nature

2

: resource sense 1b

Examples of natural resource in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Indonesia moved to tighten export earnings rules for natural resource firms in December, requiring deposits in state banks, capping rupiah currency conversion, and limiting offshore transfers, to keep dollars onshore and support the rupiah. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026

The report found that Alaska had the lowest overall tax burden, in part because revenue from natural resources reduces what residents pay directly. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2026

Why not treat patients’ interactions with the health care system as a natural resource? —O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026

For a president who has treated natural resources as both leverage and loot, Iran’s oil fields would appear to be the ultimate temptation. —Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

natural resource

noun

: something (as a mineral, waterpower source, forest, or kind of animal) that is found in nature and is valuable to humans (as in providing a source of energy, recreation, or scenic beauty)