resonance hybrid

…structure of benzene is a resonance hybrid of the two canonical structures. In quantum mechanical terms, the blending effect of resonance in the Lewis approach to bonding is the superposition of wave functions for each contributing canonical structure. The effect of resonance is the sharing of the double-bond character around…

The actual molecule is a resonance hybrid of these and related structures; but, as each one corresponds to the same geometry, no particular Lewis structure need be selected before one can make a prediction based on VSEPR theory. In other words, resonance does not affect the shapes of molecules.

…a structure that is a resonance hybrid of these structures. The energy calculated for a resonance hybrid is lower than the energies of any of the alternative structures; the molecule is then said to be stabilized by resonance. The difference between the energies of any one of the alternative structures…

…intermediate structure that was a resonance combination (or hybrid) of other structures. His book The Nature of the Chemical Bond, and the Structure of Molecules and Crystals (1939) provided a unified summary of his vision of structural chemistry.