RSVP
or R.S.V.P.
[ ahr-es-vee-pee ]
/ ˈɑrˈɛsˈviˈpi /
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verb (used without object), RSVPed or RSVP'd, RSVPing or RSVP'ing.
to reply to an invitation: Don't forget to RSVP before Thursday.
noun, plural RSVP's.
a reply to an invitation: He sent a lovely bouquet of flowers with his RSVP.
(used on an invitation to indicate that the favor of a reply is requested).
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of RSVP
First recorded in 1895–1900; from French r(épondez) s('il) v(ous) p(laît) “please reply”; cf. respond, rendezvous, please
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use RSVP in a sentence
Soon after that, the number of people RSVPing to the event grew exponentially.
British Dictionary definitions for RSVP
RSVP
abbreviation for
répondez s'il vous plaît
Word Origin for RSVP
French: please reply
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
Cultural definitions for RSVP
R.S.V.P.
Please reply or answer. From the French, “répondez s'il vous plaît,” meaning “respond if you please.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.