answer for
Britishverb
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to be liable or responsible for (a person's actions, behaviour, etc)
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to vouch for or speak on behalf of (a person)
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to suffer or atone for (one's wrongdoing)
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Take responsibility for, take charge of, as in The new alarm system has to answer for the security of the grounds . [Late 1200s]
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Take the blame for, as in The kids who were caught shoplifting have a lot to answer for . [c. 1200]
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To vouch for or sponsor someone, as in I'll answer for John as a reliable employee . [Early 1700s]
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.
Coupang CEO Harold Rogers was summoned to parliament in December 2025 over the deaths of Jang and Oh, as well as to answer for a recent data breach at his firm, involving 37.5 million users.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“At the end of the day we’re going to be the best answer for a lot of people,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The answer for many of us is to delay as long as you can because at some point during your lifetime, this will be all the money we have to live on.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The answer, for that sample, was: mostly Desmodesmus, a green algae that gobbles up phosphorus and nitrogen.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Dad gave me this sad smile and said, “I think she needs space right now,” which seemed to be his answer for everything Mom-related these days.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
