answer

American  

[an-ser, ahn-] / ˈæn sər, ˈɑn- /

noun

• answers
  plural

1. 

   a spoken or written reply or response to a question, request, letter, etc..

   He sent an answer to my letter promptly.

   Synonyms:

   riposte

2. a correct response to a question asked to test one's knowledge.

3. an equivalent or approximation.

   The band tried to be the French answer to the Beatles.

4. an action serving as a reply or response.

   The answer was a volley of fire.

5. a solution to a problem, especially in mathematics.

6. a reply to a charge or accusation.

   Synonyms:

   plea, defense

7. Law. a pleading in which a party responds to the opponent's statement of position, especially the defendant's reply to the plaintiff's complaint.

8. Music. the entrance of a fugue subject, usually on the dominant, either slightly altered or transposed exactly after each presentation in the tonic.

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verb (used without object)

• answers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• answered,
  past participle,  past
• answering
  present participle

1. to speak or write in response; make answer; reply.

2. to respond by an act or motion.

   He answered with a nod.

   The champion answered with a right to the jaw.

3. to act or suffer in consequence of (usually followed byfor ).

4. to be or declare oneself responsible or accountable (usually followed byfor ).

   I will answer for his safety.

5. to be satisfactory or serve (usually followed byfor ).

   His cane answered for a baseball bat.

6. to conform; correspond (usually followed byto ).

   The prisoner answered to the description issued by the police.

verb (used with object)

• answers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• answered,
  past participle,  past
• answering
  present participle

1. to speak or write in response to; reply to.

   to answer a person;

   to answer a question.

2. to act or move in response to.

   Answer the doorbell. We answered their goal with two quick goals of our own.

3. to solve or present a solution of.

4. to serve or fulfill.

   This will answer the purpose.

5. to discharge (a responsibility, claim, debt, etc.).

6. to conform or correspond to; be similar or equivalent to.

   This dog answers your description.

7. to atone for; make amends for.

8. to reply or respond favorably to.

   I would like to answer your request but am unable to do so.

verb phrase

1. answer back to reply impertinently or rudely.

   Well-behaved children do not answer back when scolded.

idioms

1. answer the helm, (of a vessel) to maneuver or remain steady according to the position of the rudder.

answer British  

/ ˈɑːnsə /

noun

1. a reply, either spoken or written, as to a question, request, letter, or article

2. a reaction or response in the form of an action

   drunkenness was his answer to disappointment

3. a solution, esp of a mathematical problem

4. law

   1. a party's written reply to his opponent's interrogatories

   2. (in divorce law) the respondent's written reply to the petition

5. a musical phrase that follows the subject of a fugue, reproducing it a fifth higher or a fourth lower

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verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to reply or respond (to) by word or act

   to answer a question

   he answered

   to answer the door

   he answered that he would come

2. (tr) to reply correctly to; solve or attempt to solve

   I could answer only three questions

3. to respond or react (to a stimulus, command, etc)

   the steering answers to the slightest touch

4. (tr) to pay off (a debt, obligation, etc); discharge

5. to meet the requirements (of); be satisfactory (for); serve the purpose (of)

   this will answer his needs

   this will answer for a chisel

6. to match or correspond (esp in the phrase answer (or answer to ) the description )

7. (tr) to give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument)

answer More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing answer

• know all the answers
• take no for an answer

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Usage

Spelling tips for answer The word answer is hard to spell because the w is silent. Answer is pronounced [ an-ser ]. How to spell answer: First, remember that answer has a silent w. To remember that you should place the silent w immediately after the s, remember that you can abbreviate silent w as sw.

Synonym Usage

Answer, rejoinder, reply, response, retort all mean words used to meet a question, remark, charge, etc. An answer is a return remark: an answer giving the desired information. A rejoinder is a quick, usually clever answer or remark made in reply to another's comment, not to a question. Reply usually refers to a direct or point-by-point response to a suggestion, proposal, question, or the like: a reply to a letter. A response often suggests an answer to an appeal, exhortation, etc., or an expected or fixed reply: a response to inquiry; a response in a church service. A retort implies a keen, prompt answer, especially one that turns a remark upon the person who made it: a sharp retort.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• answerer
  noun
• answerless
  adjective
• unanswered
  adjective
• unanswering
  adjective
• well-answered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• answers
  plural

Participles

• answering
  present
• answered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• answer
  simple
• answers
  simple
• have answered
  perfect
• has answered
  perfect
• am answering
  progressive
• are answering
  progressive
• is answering
  progressive
• have been answering
  perfect progressive
• has been answering
  perfect progressive

Past

• answered
  simple
• had answered
  perfect
• was answering
  progressive
• were answering
  progressive
• had been answering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will answer
  simple
• will have answered
  perfect
• will be answering
  progressive
• will have been answering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of answer

First recorded before 900; Middle English andswerien, Old English andswerian, andswarian, derivative of andswaru “an answer,” equivalent to and- “opposite, facing” ( cf. and, along) + unattested Germanic swarō, derivative of swear

Explanation

An answer is a response to a question, problem, or need. If you don’t get enough sleep, quitting your late-night TV habit might be the answer. Answer, which can be a noun or a verb, comes from the Old English for swear, and the word originally meant an official, sworn response to a legal charge. We don’t have to be sworn in when we answer a question, however, we just need to reply. Answer also means "solution." Is the answer to poverty better education? If you meet a requirement, you answer it. If you are obligated to someone, you answer to him.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

answer answers answered answering

Pack didn’t answer a question about the removal of Trump’s name from Kim’s website.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

The obvious question he did not answer was this: What did he need us little people for?

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

In the absence of information, you’ll likely choose the most flattering answer.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

We try and answer the question: Do fans today want to connect with singers who share their political views?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

I hadn’t anticipated his last question, and I fumbled for an answer.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

But as they come to remember the former Sheffield United footballer on the third anniversary of her death, they're still waiting for answers.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The answers aren’t at all simple, and Mungiu has no intention of making them so, much less revealing the whole truth behind the film’s central doubts.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Ford, a psychology professor with an expertise in biostatistics, answers prosecutorial questions about a life-altering trauma in a manner that leans on her scientific training for security.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Users can now regularly get answers to their questions about major world events, stock market moves and recipes via AI-generated search results and chatbots, limiting the need to visit news sites directly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Those left behind looked for answers to life’s questions, both big and small.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

This week, Quentin Fottrell — The Moneyist — answered questions from a 55-year-old woman who is planning ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Connally, accustomed to being the local “crazy leftist” on many issues, noticed that opposing Flock suddenly got his emails answered by council members.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Any questions would be answered by her new oncologist, she was told, but she was not given any name.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

“The team has answered the call over the first four weeks,” Harris said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Hugo knocked and spoke in a low voice to a man who answered the door.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

One had to lose but it was fun for all, each team answering the other until time ran out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Accountability means doing more than accepting an answer from the party you are answering for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

They suggest ideas like using baby gates to block off the kitchen when you are removing something from the oven, or the hall when you are answering the door.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

There are a lot of questions that would need answering: Does your generosity include sales tax and tips?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

He left a message on Mr. Mosley’s answering machine—“Hey, Mr. Mosley, I won’t be home for lunch again today, but I’ll come around later, okay?”—on his way out the door.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• comment
• explanation
• feedback
• interpretation
• justification
• key
• observation
• rebuttal
• remark
• report
• resolution
• response
• result
• return
• sign
• solution
• statement