response

American  

[ri-spons] / rɪˈspɒns /

noun

• responses
  plural

1. an answer or reply, as in words or in some action.

   Synonyms:

   rejoinder

2. Biology. any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus.

3. Ecclesiastical.

   1. a verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant.

   2. responsory.

4. Bridge. a bid based on an evaluation of one's hand relative to the previous bid of one's partner.

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response British  

/ rɪˈspɒns /

noun

1. the act of responding; reply or reaction

2. bridge a bid replying to a partner's bid or double

3. (usually plural) Christianity a short sentence or phrase recited or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant at a church service

4. electronics the ratio of the output to the input level, at a particular frequency, of a transmission line or electrical device

5. any pattern of glandular, muscular, or electrical reactions that arises from stimulation of the nervous system

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response Scientific  

/ rĭ-spŏns′ /

1. A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus.

2. See more at classical conditioning

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Synonym Usage

See answer.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterresponse
  noun
• responseless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• responses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of response

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin respōnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of respondēre “to reply, answer”; replacing Middle English respounse, from Middle French respons, from Latin, as above; see respond

Explanation

A response is a reaction to a question, experience, or some other type of stimulus. If you cry at sad movies, you're having an emotional response to the drama that's taking place on the screen. A response can come in many forms, including an answer to a question, an emotional reaction, or a reply. If a teacher asks, "Who invented the phonograph?" She hopes her students will give her the response, "Why, Thomas Edison, of course!" When a parent tells a child not to cross the street when the light is red, he hopes the response will be compliance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

response responses

“If your husband or spouse comes home and says they want to build a museum, I suggest your response is a hard no.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

The strategy is a response to extremely tough industry conditions as long-established European brands battle new rivals such as Geely in China, emerging markets and, increasingly, their home region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Reform only found out about it after BBC Wales asked the party for a response to the story.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

As the same urine was presented again and again, the flehmen response became less frequent.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

They were standing in shadow, so he could not see them, but he lifted the torch high in response to their shouts.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Remarkably, cats continued to show reduced responses to previously encountered urine odors even after gaps lasting months.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Hatter says there can be very different and unpredictable responses to grief, including a condition known as "bereavement mania" where someone can seem inappropriately hyper or even euphoric after the loss of a loved one.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He criticizes DHS’s “conclusory or dismissive” responses to the 22,000 public comments it received about the proposal.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

The survey, carried out between April and August, gathered responses from more than 500 CISOs in a range of industries, mostly at U.S.-based firms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

“I’m not trying to be a jerk. It’s just that I’ve been getting lots of responses from random people, and—I guess I need to know it’s really you.”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Related Words

• feedback
• reply
• return