reply
Americanverb (used without object)
-
replies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
replied,
past participle, past
-
replying
present participle
-
to make answer in words or writing; answer; respond.
to reply to a question.
- Synonyms:
- rejoin
-
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)
-
replies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
replied,
past participle, past
-
replying
present participle
verb
-
to make answer (to) in words or writing or by an action; respond
he replied with an unexpected move
-
(tr; takes a clause as object) to say (something) in answer
he replied that he didn't want to come
-
law to answer a defendant's plea
-
to return (a sound); echo
noun
-
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
Synonym Usage
See answer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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replysimple
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repliessimple
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have repliedperfect
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has repliedperfect
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am replyingprogressive
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are replyingprogressive
-
is replyingprogressive
-
have been replyingperfect progressive
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has been replyingperfect progressive
Past
-
repliedsimple
-
had repliedperfect
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was replyingprogressive
-
were replyingprogressive
-
had been replyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reply
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English replien (verb), from Middle French replier “to fold back, reply,” from Latin replicāre “to unroll, fold back”; see replicate
Explanation
Whenever you say something in response to someone, you reply. If your teacher asks why you're late to school, you might reply, "Sorry, I missed the bus." To answer back or respond is to reply, and whatever you say is also a reply. Your reply could be a long quotation from a Shakespeare soliloquy, or it might be a simple, silent nod of the head. You can also reply using a letter, a text, or an email. Reply comes from the Late Latin replicare, which means both "to reply or repeat," but also "to fold back."
Vocabulary lists containing reply
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.
See Examples For:
Armenta did not reply to The Times’ survey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
SpaceX didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the debt deal.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
They were a key reason why de Gaulle—who received no reply after asking President John F. Kennedy in 1961 whether he would sacrifice New York to save Paris—sought an independent deterrent in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Kagiso Rabada nicked off Australia opener Nic Maddinson in the first over of Australia's reply to further boost the hosts' cause.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Navigating the cracked asphalt, I reply, “Part of my charm.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Witness the president’s replies to reporters’ shouted questions Monday on his way to Marine One.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Careful with your language,” replies the lady from child-protection services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“That was unintended,” he replies, only digging himself in deeper when he explains that, like plumbers or electricians, he was there to do a job.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
A female voice replies, “Allegedly, I like light-skinned, I guess.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
“That’s us!” my dad replies to her in Spanish.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Questioned about how she felt, the 49-year-old replied she was "very sad", adding: "Nine years is a lot working for Poundland and they've been really good to me as a Poundland family, really supportive."
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Loss might be a bit higher than that, but will cover,” Zhao replied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Under criticism by supporters of the three juntas, he replied in 2024 that the Sahel states "thought I was going to be their minstrel".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Asked by ABC News if she tried to protect Chávez, Huerta replied, “Always. Always.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“No time to talk! No time to talk!” replied Duane, not stopping or even slowing.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
I realized that replying to complicated requests or problems in anger or haste was never smart, so I kept his rule to slow my response time down eight hours for future correspondence.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Local authorities were "promptly replying" to more than 800 calls from affected relatives, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
You can also reach us by replying to any newsletter, or by emailing our editors Perry Cleveland-Peck at [email protected] and David Smagalla at [email protected].
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
She backed this notion up when asked about her future plans, external by Entertainment Tonight at the NYC premiere of The Odyssey, replying, "Oh, girl, nothing. Just mind my business!"
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
He wanted to wait a few days before replying to her but he found himself that night in his study writing her a long e-mail about the death of his mother.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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