response
[ri-spons]
- an answer or reply, as in words or in some action.
- Biology. any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus.
- Ecclesiastical.
- a verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant.Compare versicle(def 2).
- responsory.
- Bridge. a bid based on an evaluation of one's hand relative to the previous bid of one's partner.
Origin of response
1250–1300; < Latin respōnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of respondēre to respond; replacing Middle English respounse < Middle French respons < Latin, as above
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. rejoinder.
Synonym study
1. See answer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for response
Contemporary Examples
I think the response of the French government so far has been pretty appropriate in that regard.
What is known is that Peña Nieto bungled his response to the crisis.
In response, Greenberg offered the Times his resignation, which was refused.
In response, the April Revolution protests erupted in much of the country.
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Historical Examples
Ask the young noble, who has been to him as a father; and his response will be 'Anaxagoras.'
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
Certain faculties develop in response to the pressure of environment.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Receiving no response she knocked again, this time with more force.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton CampusJessie Graham Flower
By response to response we spin round a friend the age-web which lengthens into the death-web.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
She could not allude to such things without at least a possibility of response.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
response
- the act of responding; reply or reaction
- bridge a bid replying to a partner's bid or double
- (usually plural) Christianity a short sentence or phrase recited or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant at a church service
- electronics the ratio of the output to the input level, at a particular frequency, of a transmission line or electrical device
- any pattern of glandular, muscular, or electrical reactions that arises from stimulation of the nervous system
Word Origin
C14: from Latin rēsponsum answer, from rēspondēre to respond
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for response
n.
c.1300, from Old French respons (Modern French réponse) and directly from Latin responsum "an answer," noun use of neuter past participle of respondere "to respond" (see respond).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
response
(rĭ-spŏns′)
- A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
response
[rĭ-spŏns′]
- A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus. See more at classical conditioning.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.