reply

[ ri-plahy ]

/ rɪˈplaɪ /

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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.

Nearby words

replication, replicative, replicator, replicon, replisome, reply, reply card, repo, repoint, repolarization, repone

Origin of reply

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

SYNONYMS FOR reply

1 rejoin.

6 rejoinder, riposte.

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Related forms

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

Synonym study

6. See answer.

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

Examples from the Web for reply

“Every critic encounters one book like that,” was his reply.
A Novel Nearly Impossible to Review|Nicholas Mancusi|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Johnson testified that he was the only one to reply, telling the cop that they were almost to where they were going.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America|Michael Daly|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has received no reply from the government to the complaint he sent.
Corruption Eats Away at Ukraine Military|Charles McPhedran|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I had not the most remote notion of what a wonderful man he was,” Darwin wrote of Aristotle in his reply to Ogle.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They received a letter of reply saying their help was very welcome, and to come down and pay them a visit.
‘Pride’: The Feel-Good Movie of the Year, and the Film Rupert Murdoch Doesn’t Want You to See|Marlow Stern|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had written to Maggie, and been surprised and hurt to receive no reply.
Bob, Son of Battle|Alfred Ollivant
"You did more when you got out of the cab at the top of the gardens here," he whispered in reply.
The Missionary|George Griffith
His mouth hung open in indication of the turmoil in his wits as he waited for her reply.
Making People Happy|Thompson Buchanan
Before Frederic could reply, the two men were jostled and swept on by a sudden rush of a noisy crowd in their rear.
The Parisians, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Madame de Noirmont had not a word to say in reply; she hung her head and seemed completely crushed.
The Bashful Lover (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIX)|Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for reply

reply

/ (rɪˈplaɪ) /

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 Forms

replier, 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