reply

[ri-plahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reply ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), re·plied, re·ply·ing.

to make answer in words or writing; answer; respond: to reply to a question.

to respond by some action, performance, etc.: to reply to the enemy's fire.

to return a sound; echo; resound.

Law. to answer a defendant's plea.

verb (used with object), re·plied, re·ply·ing.

to return as an answer (usually used in a negative combination or followed by a clause with that): Not a syllable did he reply. He replied that no one would go.

noun, plural re·plies.

an answer or response in words or writing.

a response made by some action, performance, etc.

Origin of reply

1350–1400; Middle English replien (v.) < Middle French replier to fold back, reply < Latin replicāre to unroll, fold back; see replicate

Related formsre·pli·er, nounun·re·plied, adjectiveun·re·ply·ing, adjective

Synonyms for reply

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reply ON THESAURUS.COM

1. rejoin. 6. rejoinder, riposte.

Synonym study

6. See answer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for replies

reaction, feedback, rejoinder, retort, response, acknowledgment, respond, acknowledge, counter, react, return, sass, retaliation, echo, reciprocation, lip, comeback, wisecrack, riposte, antiphon

Examples from the Web for replies

Contemporary Examples of replies

King Lear becomes Lear texting “okay who wants a kingdom,” to which Goneril replies “me me I do.”
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?
Jennie Yabroff
December 23, 2014
To be fair, these are replies to arguments put forth by the plaintiffs in the case.
All The Wrong Reasons to Ban Gay Unions
Jay Michaelson
November 7, 2014
“Like Gwyneth Paltrow,” Eliza replies, finally understanding the concept of inner beauty.
‘Selfie’ Is Both a Brilliant and Terrible TV Show
Kevin Fallon
September 30, 2014
“Tell me before I forget,” Cianci replies, and when they do, he remembers a graduation, an uncle, a Little League tournament.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?
David Freedlander
June 22, 2014
When I ask him what religious denomination he represents, he replies, “every.”
Ukraine’s Vigilante Peacemakers
James Kirchick
May 17, 2014

Historical Examples of replies

All these answers, were in truth no replies at all, for they did not disprove the facts.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
"The Sorrows of Werter," replies my lady, as well as I could hear.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The Duc replies, "Why did you not say that some one was listening, that some one was hidden?"
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
My messages were soon sent, and then I sat down to wait for the replies.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
"Thought I'd see you off," he replies to your expression of surprise at his early rising.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for replies

reply

verb -plies, -plying or -plied (mainly intr)

to make answer (to) in words or writing or by an action; respondhe replied with an unexpected move

(tr; takes a clause as object) to say (something) in answerhe replied that he didn't want to come

law to answer a defendant's plea

to return (a sound); echo

noun plural -plies

an answer made in words or writing or through an action; response

the answer made by a plaintiff or petitioner to a defendant's case

Derived Formsreplier, noun

Word Origin for reply

C14: from Old French replier to fold again, reply, from Latin replicāre to fold back, from re- + plicāre to fold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for replies

reply

late 14c., "to make an answer," from Old French replier "to reply, turn back," from Late Latin replicare "to reply, repeat," in classical Latin "fold back, fold over, bend back," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + plicare "to fold" (see ply (v.1)). Latin literal sense of "to fold back" is attested from mid-15c. in English but is not now used. Modern French répliquer (Middle French replier) is directly from Late Latin. Related: Replied; replying.

reply

1550s, from reply (v.).