responder
Americannoun
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a person or thing that responds.
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Electronics. the part of a transponder that transmits the reply.
Etymology
Origin of responder
Explanation
A responder is someone who answers a question or who acts quickly in response to some event. If there's only one responder to all of your teacher's questions, he'll start calling on other students to answer as well. Anyone who responds, or reacts, in some way is a responder, whether their responses are spoken, sung, or acted out physically. You're likely to find this word in the context of "first responders," a term that's used for police officers, firefighters, EMTs, or anyone else whose job puts them among the people who help in an emergency or disaster.
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.
A first responder told the BBC they had never seen such a disaster in Coron, calling it "really heartbreaking".
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
He even seems to be a sort of on-call first responder for bee-related emergencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
When I was in Iraq, on patrol and during emergency responder training, I was given the option of picking my own radio call sign.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
He is not the only California first responder to have been accused recently of engaging in insurance fraud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
They made us do it to each other in the first responder class.
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
