definitions

respond

[ ri-spond ]
/ rɪˈspɒnd /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR respond ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

to say in answer; reply.

noun

Architecture. a half pier, pilaster, or the like projecting from a wall as a support for a lintel or an arch, the other side of which is supported on a free-standing pier or column.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. a short anthem chanted at intervals during the reading of a lection.
  2. responsory.
  3. response.

RELATED CONTENT

What does 🤶- Mrs. Claus Emoji mean?Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
AFKRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

return, acknowledge, counter, react, behave, answer, reply, rejoin, reciprocate, retort, feedback

Nearby words

respite, respite care, resplendence, resplendent, resplendent quetzal, respond, respondence, respondent, respondent conditioning, responder, responsa

Origin of respond

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English: responsory < Old French, derivative of respondre to respond < Latin respondēre to promise in return, reply, answer, equivalent to re- re- + spondēre to pledge, promise (see sponsor); (v.) < Latin respondēre

Related forms

o·ver·re·spond, verbun·re·spond·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for respond

British Dictionary definitions for respond

respond

/ (rɪˈspɒnd) /

verb

to state or utter (something) in reply
(intr) to act in reply; reactto respond by issuing an invitation
(intr foll by to) to react favourablythis patient will respond to treatment
an archaic word for correspond

noun

architect a pilaster or an engaged column that supports an arch or a lintel
Christianity a choral anthem chanted in response to a lesson read at a church service

Derived Forms

respondence or respondency, nounresponder, noun

Word Origin for respond

C14: from Old French respondre, from Latin rēspondēre to return like for like, from re- + spondēre to pledge; see spouse, sponsor
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