ENGLISH
REFERENCE

resident

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɹɛzɪdənt// UK //ɹˈɛzɪdənt// res·i·dent Archaic General-service

n. a person who lives in a specific place, like a house, a city, or a country. It can also mean a doctor who is finishing their training at a hospital.

n. a person who lives in a particular place on a long-term basis. In a medical context, it refers to a physician receiving specialized clinical training in a hospital setting.


SIMPLE

The local residents are unhappy about the new road.

CONTEXTUAL

Every resident in the apartment building must have a key to the main entrance for security reasons.

COMPLEX

After graduating from medical school, she secured a position as a surgical resident at one of the nation's leading teaching hospitals to complete her residency.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“to sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. The espionage sense is a semantic loan from Russian резиде́нт (rezidént). (physician): So called because in the 19th century they resided in the hospital dormitories.

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'of' when identifying the place of habitation.

© 2026 English Reference