respond
Americanverb (used without object)
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to reply or answer in words.
to respond briefly to a question.
- Synonyms:
- rejoin
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to make a return by some action as if in answer.
to respond generously to a charity drive.
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to react favorably.
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Physiology. to exhibit some action or effect as if in answer; react.
Nerves respond to a stimulus.
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to correspond (usually followed byto ).
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Bridge. to make a response.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Architecture. a half pier, pilaster, or the like projecting from a wall as a support for a lintel or an arch, the other side of which is supported on a free-standing pier or column.
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Ecclesiastical.
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a short anthem chanted at intervals during the reading of a lection.
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verb
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to state or utter (something) in reply
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(intr) to act in reply; react
to respond by issuing an invitation
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to react favourably
this patient will respond to treatment
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an archaic word for correspond
noun
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architect a pilaster or an engaged column that supports an arch or a lintel
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Christianity a choral anthem chanted in response to a lesson read at a church service
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have respondedperfect
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has respondedperfect 3rd person singular
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respondssingular 3rd person
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have been respondingperfect progressive
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is respondingprogressive 3rd person singular
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respondingparticiple
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are respondingprogressive
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am respondingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been respondingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had respondedperfect
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had been respondingperfect progressive
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were respondingprogressive plural
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respondedparticiple
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was respondingprogressive singular
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respondedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of respond
First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the verb) from Latin respondēre “to promise in return, reply, answer,” from re- re- + spondēre “to pledge, promise”; (for the noun) Middle English: “responsory,” from Old French, derivative of respondre “to reply,” from Latin respondēre
Explanation
Invited to a great party? You might respond by shouting "Hooray!" and then letting your friend know you'll be there. To respond is to react or reply. Fireman, police, and EMTs are known as first responders. This is because they are the first people to respond to an emergency. If you get into an accident, an EMT might check your reflexes to see how they respond.
Vocabulary lists containing respond
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 81-90
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since 2018, a local chapter of the nonprofit Grannies Respond, the group DeWitt volunteers through, has greeted newcomers at area bus stations.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023
Respond: “Don’t be concerned about what’s in someone else’s bowl unless you’re checking to see if they got enough.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 6, 2022
I first read this poem in the anthology “Bullets Into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence.”
From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2022
As you read in The Digital World: Building on What You Already Know to Respond Critically, rhetorical situation are shaped by the conditions of the communication and the agents involved in that communication.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
“Assalamu alaikum, Janna! Respond to me as I tell you because if I know your brother, he’s hovering around there somewhere. Say walaikum musalam.’
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
