reply
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make answer in words or writing; answer; respond.
to reply to a question.
- Synonyms:
- rejoin
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to respond by some action, performance, etc..
to reply to the enemy's fire.
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to return a sound; echo; resound.
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Law. to answer a defendant's plea.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to make answer (to) in words or writing or by an action; respond
he replied with an unexpected move
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(tr; takes a clause as object) to say (something) in answer
he replied that he didn't want to come
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law to answer a defendant's plea
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to return (a sound); echo
noun
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an answer made in words or writing or through an action; response
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the answer made by a plaintiff or petitioner to a defendant's case
Synonym Usage
See answer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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replysimple
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repliessimple
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have repliedperfect
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has repliedperfect
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am replyingprogressive
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are replyingprogressive
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is replyingprogressive
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have been replyingperfect progressive
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has been replyingperfect progressive
Past
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repliedsimple
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had repliedperfect
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was replyingprogressive
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were replyingprogressive
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had been replyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reply
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English replien (verb), from Middle French replier “to fold back, reply,” from Latin replicāre “to unroll, fold back”; see replicate
Explanation
Whenever you say something in response to someone, you reply. If your teacher asks why you're late to school, you might reply, "Sorry, I missed the bus." To answer back or respond is to reply, and whatever you say is also a reply. Your reply could be a long quotation from a Shakespeare soliloquy, or it might be a simple, silent nod of the head. You can also reply using a letter, a text, or an email. Reply comes from the Late Latin replicare, which means both "to reply or repeat," but also "to fold back."
Vocabulary lists containing reply
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.
See Examples For:
Amy’s certified public accountant wrote that the bookkeeper was under “direction to not reply or provide information” to one of Sandy’s attorneys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Det Ch Con Harrison said: "We will reply directly to the court in due course, and as such it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After leading 8-4 again on Thursday, Van Duijvenbode dropped two consecutive legs but then stormed into a 14-6 lead by winning the next six without reply.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Controlled Thermal Resources attorney Suzanne Varco said that the company reached out to 26 area tribes in 2021 and received no reply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
He longed to howl a reply: to tell Wolf that it was not for ever; that one day, he would find some way for them to be together.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Now her Reddit comment history is full of replies to posts about infant loss and avoidant partners, offering advice, support, and stories of her own experience.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
MJ replies, “I try not to fear,” and then follows up asking Jenner what her biggest fear is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
The site uses crowd-sourced information from its users and analytics to track employer replies to job applicants, according to Baxamoosa.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
But last week, the replies were inundated with complaints that Letterboxd had defected to the corporate dark side, along with fearful pleas for the platform’s owners to reconsider.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Well, out of all of those thousands and thousands of friendly, cordial, or just plain tolerant replies Claire might give me, I could only think of three.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
Claude replied that delaying benefits might make sense.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Asked Thursday if he believed Matar was motivated to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie replied: "I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions," according to US media.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Because we don’t think there was a conflict, Lesley, that’s why,” Witkoff replied.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
When I asked R&A chief executive Mark Darbon on Saturday if Trump had been in touch, he replied that he had not.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Yep,” Karl replied, nodding vigorously, and grinning triumphantly all over his face.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Curiously, a number of people on X, replying to Elliott’s tweet, seemed to think this would be negative for TIPS.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Not replying to a phone call within a few hours may cause resentment.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Audio recordings from the cockpit captured one pilot asking the other why he had done it, with the other replying that he had not.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Even replying “STOP” to a smishing text can increase the number of scam messages you receive, because it confirms someone is actively using the phone number.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
“I think,” he finds himself replying, “I was ‘up.’”
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
