resistance /rizis″təns/ [L, resistere, to withstand] , 1. an opposition to a force, such as the resistance offered by the constriction of peripheral vessels to the blood flow in the circulatory system. 2. the frictional force that opposes the flow of an electric charge, as measured in ohms. 3. (in respiratory therapy) the process or power of acting against a force placed on it, pertaining to thoracic resistance, tissue resistance, and airway resistance.
