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Glite Dictionary
to couldn't resist

to couldn't resist

56 3.7
Not be able to stop yourself from doing something because you really want it
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈkʊdnt rɪˈzɪst/
translation icon : no poder resistirse a
  • When she saw the delicious dessert, she couldn't resist taking a piece.

And lastly, I couldn't resist, so I got this robe.

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Examples

  • And lastly, I couldn't resist, so I got this robe.

    Laura Lee

  • "I'm sorry," she said as she rejoined me, "but I couldn't resist the beat."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • One morning, I came to the following passage and could not resist the urge to e-mail it to my friend.

    Academic text (2009)

  • I also couldn't resist asking this question.

  • I should not have done so, but I could not resist the temptation.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • It's just that the moment I laid eyes on you, I couldn't resist.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • So during a recent visit to London, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to reconvene with John.

    Rich Roll

  • Quinn told me where she got them, and I couldn't resist.

    Cupids on Beacon Street (2021)

  • I knew that even though it wasn't his math problem, he couldn't resist working it, too.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • In many ways, we were poles apart, yet, like magnets, we couldn't resist each other.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

to help
vsto couldn't resist
∞ 3.5

To be unable to stop yourself from doing something

refers to inability caused by strong temptation or desire
to couldn't help but
vsto couldn't resist
100 3.7

Be unable to stop yourself from doing something

involves inability caused by strong temptation or desire

Antonyms

to resist
291 2.5

Stop yourself from doing something you want to do

to refrain
87 4.2

Choose not to do something you want to do

How Tempted

to couldn't resist
56 3.7
to give in
220 3.0

Surface Forms

resist infinitive
resisted past
resisted past participle
resisting present participle
resists third person singular

Morphology

couldn't + resist

The meaning is directly compositional: 'couldn't' (could not = lacking ability/will) combined with 'resist' (to restrain oneself from an urge) yields 'was unable to restrain oneself.' The contraction and the negative-modal + verb pattern are common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Couldn't resist gives the picture of someone trying to resist a tasty or funny thing but failing. So it means you are unable to stop yourself and you 'give in' to the temptation.