resident

1 of 2

adjective

res·​i·​dent ˈre-zə-dənt 

ˈrez-dənt,

ˈre-zə-ˌdent

1

a

: living in a place for some length of time : residing

b

: serving in a regular or full-time capacity

the resident engineer for a highway department

also : being in residence

2

: present, inherent

3

: not migratory

resident species

resident

2 of 2

noun

1

: one who resides in a place

2

: a diplomatic agent residing at a foreign court or seat of government

especially : one exercising authority in a protected state as representative of the protecting power

3

: a physician serving a residency

Synonyms

Noun

• denizen
• dweller
• habitant
• inhabitant
• inhabiter
• occupant
• resider
• tenant

Examples of resident in a Sentence

Adjective

Several tribes are resident in this part of the country.

Noun

a resident of Atlanta

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Other forms of identification that will be accepted in lieu of a REAL ID include a valid U.S. passport or passport card; DHS trusted traveler cards such as Global Entry; Department of Defense IDs; permanent resident cards; and border crossing cards. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025

Detroit’s now turning to the resident Swiss Army knife who is not only playing every day, but batting in the top third of a decent order. —John Laghezza, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Noun

In long-term care, however, families and residents may worry that correcting the way staff members speak could create antagonisms. —Paula Span, New York Times, 3 May 2025

When the original owner of the bookstore needed to move locations down the road, the town residents showed up in droves, creating a human conveyor belt moving the books hand-to-hand down to the new location. —American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 3 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin resident-, residens, present participle of residēre

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing resident

• co-resident
• minister resident
• resident commissioner

Rhymes for resident

• nonresident

Kids Definition

resident

1 of 2 adjective

res·​i·​dent ˈrez-əd-ənt 

-ə-ˌdent

1

: living in a place for some length of time

2

: working on a regular or full-time basis

a resident physician

3

: not migrating to other areas

resident birds

resident

2 of 2 noun

1

: one who resides in a place

2

: a person (as a physician) serving a residency

Medical Definition

resident

noun

res·​i·​dent ˈrez-əd-ənt, ˈrez-dənt 

: a physician serving a residency

Legal Definition

resident

noun

res·​i·​dent

ˈre-zə-dənt

: one who has a residence in a particular place but does not necessarily have the status of a citizen compare citizen sense 1, domiciliary

resident adjective