A resident is someone who lives in a particular place. You are a resident of your town, your state, and your country. If your family has lived in the same house for five years, you're long-term residents of that neighborhood. If you just moved in last month, you're new residents.

The word often appears in official contexts. When you fill out a form asking if you're a resident of your state, it's asking whether you actually live there. College students might be residents of their home state even while attending school elsewhere. Some places have residency requirements: you might need to be a resident of a city for a certain time before you can vote in its elections or qualify for certain programs.

In medical settings, a resident (also called a medical resident) is a doctor who has finished medical school and is now getting hands-on training in a hospital. These doctors work long hours learning their specialty under the supervision of experienced physicians. This specialized meaning comes from the fact that these doctors historically lived (resided) in the hospital during their training.