answer

American  

[an-ser, ahn-] / ˈæn sər, ˈɑn- /

noun

• answers
  plural

1. a spoken or written reply or response to a question, request, letter, etc..

   He sent an answer to my letter promptly.

   Synonyms:

   riposte

2. a correct response to a question asked to test one's knowledge.

3. an equivalent or approximation.

   The band tried to be the French answer to the Beatles.

4. an action serving as a reply or response.

   The answer was a volley of fire.

5. a solution to a problem, especially in mathematics.

6. a reply to a charge or accusation.

   Synonyms:

   plea, defense

7. Law. a pleading in which a party responds to the opponent's statement of position, especially the defendant's reply to the plaintiff's complaint.

8. Music. the entrance of a fugue subject, usually on the dominant, either slightly altered or transposed exactly after each presentation in the tonic.

---

verb (used without object)

• answers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• answered,
  past participle,  past
• answering
  present participle

1. to speak or write in response; make answer; reply.

2. to respond by an act or motion.

   He answered with a nod.

   The champion answered with a right to the jaw.

3. to act or suffer in consequence of (usually followed byfor ).

4. to be or declare oneself responsible or accountable (usually followed byfor ).

   I will answer for his safety.

5. to be satisfactory or serve (usually followed byfor ).

   His cane answered for a baseball bat.

6. to conform; correspond (usually followed byto ).

   The prisoner answered to the description issued by the police.

verb (used with object)

• answers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• answered,
  past participle,  past
• answering
  present participle

1. to speak or write in response to; reply to.

   to answer a person;

   to answer a question.

2. to act or move in response to.

   Answer the doorbell. We answered their goal with two quick goals of our own.

3. to solve or present a solution of.

4. to serve or fulfill.

   This will answer the purpose.

5. to discharge (a responsibility, claim, debt, etc.).

6. to conform or correspond to; be similar or equivalent to.

   This dog answers your description.

7. to atone for; make amends for.

8. to reply or respond favorably to.

   I would like to answer your request but am unable to do so.

verb phrase

1. answer back to reply impertinently or rudely.

   Well-behaved children do not answer back when scolded.

idioms

1. answer the helm, (of a vessel) to maneuver or remain steady according to the position of the rudder.

answer British  

/ ˈɑːnsə /

noun

1. a reply, either spoken or written, as to a question, request, letter, or article

2. a reaction or response in the form of an action

   drunkenness was his answer to disappointment

3. a solution, esp of a mathematical problem

4. law

   1. a party's written reply to his opponent's interrogatories

   2. (in divorce law) the respondent's written reply to the petition

5. a musical phrase that follows the subject of a fugue, reproducing it a fifth higher or a fourth lower

---

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to reply or respond (to) by word or act

   to answer a question

   he answered

   to answer the door

   he answered that he would come

2. (tr) to reply correctly to; solve or attempt to solve

   I could answer only three questions

3. to respond or react (to a stimulus, command, etc)

   the steering answers to the slightest touch

4. (tr) to pay off (a debt, obligation, etc); discharge

5. to meet the requirements (of); be satisfactory (for); serve the purpose (of)

   this will answer his needs

   this will answer for a chisel

6. to match or correspond (esp in the phrase answer (or answer to ) the description )

7. (tr) to give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument)

answer More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing answer

• know all the answers
• take no for an answer

---

Usage

Spelling tips for answer The word answer is hard to spell because the w is silent. Answer is pronounced [ an-ser ]. How to spell answer: First, remember that answer has a silent w. To remember that you should place the silent w immediately after the s, remember that you can abbreviate silent w as sw.

Synonym Usage

Answer, rejoinder, reply, response, retort all mean words used to meet a question, remark, charge, etc. An answer is a return remark: an answer giving the desired information. A rejoinder is a quick, usually clever answer or remark made in reply to another's comment, not to a question. Reply usually refers to a direct or point-by-point response to a suggestion, proposal, question, or the like: a reply to a letter. A response often suggests an answer to an appeal, exhortation, etc., or an expected or fixed reply: a response to inquiry; a response in a church service. A retort implies a keen, prompt answer, especially one that turns a remark upon the person who made it: a sharp retort.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• answerer
  noun
• answerless
  adjective
• unanswered
  adjective
• unanswering
  adjective
• well-answered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• answers
  plural

Participles

• answering
  present
• answered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• answer
  simple
• answers
  simple
• have answered
  perfect
• has answered
  perfect
• am answering
  progressive
• are answering
  progressive
• is answering
  progressive
• have been answering
  perfect progressive
• has been answering
  perfect progressive

Past

• answered
  simple
• had answered
  perfect
• was answering
  progressive
• were answering
  progressive
• had been answering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will answer
  simple
• will have answered
  perfect
• will be answering
  progressive
• will have been answering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of answer

First recorded before 900; Middle English andswerien, Old English andswerian, andswarian, derivative of andswaru “an answer,” equivalent to and- “opposite, facing” ( cf. and, along) + unattested Germanic swarō, derivative of swear

Explanation

An answer is a response to a question, problem, or need. If you don’t get enough sleep, quitting your late-night TV habit might be the answer. Answer, which can be a noun or a verb, comes from the Old English for swear, and the word originally meant an official, sworn response to a legal charge. We don’t have to be sworn in when we answer a question, however, we just need to reply. Answer also means "solution." Is the answer to poverty better education? If you meet a requirement, you answer it. If you are obligated to someone, you answer to him.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

answer answers answered answering

Net unrealized appreciation is not automatically the answer, and treating it that way costs people money too.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The short answer is no and a number of LIV players are potentially facing career limbo.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

It has quickly established itself as Hulu’s answer to Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” franchise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Her story captures exactly why a typical physician’s answer based on population-level evidence and statistics can feel so unsatisfying to an individual patient or worried family member.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

He seemed happy to answer my endless questions, chatting about everything from the various dynastic eras to the differences among vessel forms and the characteristics of certain hardwoods.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

But the Westerman/Gosar investigation is a serious attempt to get a better handle on how the abuse works in practice, with letters going to all 19 organizations demanding written answers and in-person testimony.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

But heading into the 2026 season, there are many more questions than answers when it comes to the most important position on the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

"You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to have all the answers," said Shearer.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Jennifer doesn't think the group will ever get answers about Darryl Smith's intentions.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

I throw my pencil down and roll onto my back as Mom answers the phone.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The investigation letter also cites one internal record: a Nov. 4, 2023, email where Dean of Admissions Kristin Theis-Alvarez answered a professor’s complaint about admissions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The 4,000 office-based job losses at JLR were confirmed as John Healey answered questions a few miles away.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

You are most like those and least like those when comparing how you answered with our survey respondents on American Culture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

The report does not disclose how Moraes answered.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

“No, I don’t want to play anything,” Bat answered.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

OpenAI said its work showed that these equations can break down over time, answering the question as set out by the Millennium Prize.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

One of the biggest can be found in answering the question: Are institutional investors—the mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds and other big players that can move stock prices—buying or selling?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

“You need to consider why the Supreme Court would even want to entertain answering your question,” he said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

"One of our main goals at Nasa is answering the question: are we alone in the universe?"

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Ella found her godmother in the room before answering yes.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• comment
• explanation
• feedback
• interpretation
• justification
• key
• observation
• rebuttal
• remark
• report
• resolution
• response
• result
• return
• sign
• solution
• statement