resistance
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resistance
The action or attitude of defending oneself against something or someone, or opposing something. This can be political, military, or personal.
Der Plan der Regierung stieß in der Bevölkerung auf großen Widerstand.
The government's plan met with strong resistance among the population.
resistance / resistor
In physics, a property of a material that impedes the flow of electric current. The unit of measurement for this is the ohm.
Um die LED nicht zu zerstören, muss man einen passenden Widerstand vorschalten.
To avoid destroying the LED, you have to connect a suitable resistor in series.
resistance / drag
A force that acts against a movement, such as air resistance when cycling or water resistance when swimming.
Bei hoher Geschwindigkeit wird der Luftwiderstand zu einem wichtigen Faktor.
At high speed, air resistance becomes an important factor.
to resist
To actively defend oneself against a measure, an order, or an attack.
Der Verhaftete leistete bei seiner Festnahme keinen Widerstand.
The arrested man did not resist during his arrest.
'Widerstand' (resistance) is made up of the preposition 'wider' (against) and the noun 'der Stand' (from 'stehen' — to stand). Literally, it means something like 'standing against,' which describes the core meaning well in all contexts.
Sein Körper stand der Krankheit lange wider.
His body resisted the illness for a long time.
If you want to express what the resistance is directed against, you always use the preposition 'gegen' followed by the accusative. Another very typical expression is 'auf Widerstand stoßen' (to meet with resistance).
Es gab starken Widerstand gegen die neuen Regeln.
There was strong resistance against the new rules.
The combination 'Widerstand leisten' (to resist / to offer resistance) is a fixed collocation and means to actively defend oneself. It is often used in the context of the police, the military, or defense against an attack.
Die Demonstranten leisteten passiven Widerstand.
The demonstrators offered passive resistance.
This meaning is a technical term from physics and electrical engineering. You can recognize it from words such as 'Strom' (current), 'Spannung' (voltage), 'Schaltung' (circuit), or the unit of measurement 'Ohm' (ohm).
Der elektrische Widerstand wird in Ohm gemessen.
Electrical resistance is measured in ohms.
In the physical sense of an 'opposing force,' 'Widerstand' (resistance) very often appears as part of compound nouns. The best-known examples are 'der Luftwiderstand' (air resistance) and 'der Wasserwiderstand' (water resistance).
Moderne Autos haben einen geringen Luftwiderstand.
Modern cars have low air resistance.
opposition
Widerstand refers to actively opposing a measure or government. In politics, Opposition mainly refers to the parties outside the government that take a critical stance toward it; they do not always actively block it. Use “Widerstand” for the counteraction and “Opposition” for the political opposing side.
Die Bürger leisteten Widerstand gegen die geplante Räumung.
The citizens resisted the planned eviction.
Die Opposition kritisierte die geplante Räumung im Parlament.
The opposition criticized the planned eviction in parliament.
