answer for

verb

1. to be liable or responsible for (a person's actions, behaviour, etc)

2. to vouch for or speak on behalf of (a person)

3. to suffer or atone for (one's wrongdoing)

Idioms and Phrases

Take responsibility for, take charge of, as in The new alarm system has to answer for the security of the grounds . [Late 1200s]

Take the blame for, as in The kids who were caught shoplifting have a lot to answer for . [c. 1200]

To vouch for or sponsor someone, as in I'll answer for John as a reliable employee . [Early 1700s]

Example Sentences

“I was in a fantasy world. He had an answer for everything,” Ruvalcaba, 66, said in an interview with The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

According to the IOPC, Northamptonshire Police had initially decided Det Con Tredwell had a case to answer for gross misconduct, but decided not to pursue it as he had been medically retired.

From BBC

Paying bail enabled someone to receive their punishment up front rather than be detained to answer for it, and then, if they were found not guilty, they could have the money back.

From Salon

He then praised Kennedy for “coming up with the answers for autism,” backing the secretary’s long-standing view that just making stuff up is a superior approach to medicine than following the science.

From Salon

The Chiefs, meanwhile, made it to the Super Bowl but had no answers for the Philadelphia Eagles in a lopsided loss.

From Los Angeles Times