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| an·swer [ ánssər ] |
noun (plural an·swers) |
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1. response to question: the information requested by a spoken or written question
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2. way of solving something: the solution to a problem
  trying to find an answer to our ecological problems
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3. response to action: a reaction intended to deal with something that somebody says or does
She had no answer to her opponent's lethal backhand.
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4. response to call: a response to a summons, e.g. a ringing telephone, a doorbell, or somebody calling your name
I tried phoning him, but there was no answer.
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5. corresponding thing: something designed to match or correspond to something else
The Space Needle is Seattle's answer to the Eiffel Tower.
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6. law plea in court: a defendant's plea in response to a charge, lawsuit, or summons
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verb (past and past participle an·swered, present participle an·swer·ing, 3rd person present singular an·swers) |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb reply to something: to reply to something written or spoken
answered with a stinging rebuttal
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2. do something in reaction: to do something as a reaction to something that somebody says or does
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3. transitive and intransitive verb respond to call: to respond to a summons such as a ringing telephone, a doorbell, or somebody calling your name
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4. transitive and intransitive verb correspond to something: to match or correspond to something
nobody who answers to that description
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5. transitive and intransitive verb meet need: to fulfill a need or wish
Her arrival answered our need for an experienced radiologist.
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6. intransitive verb serve purpose: to be adequate in serving a purpose
an upturned box that answers for a seat
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7. transitive verb law respond to charge in court: to offer a plea in response to a charge, lawsuit, or summons
The defendant will now answer the charges.
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| [ Old English andswaru< Germanic, "swear against"] |
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| an·swer·er noun |
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know or have all the answers to be admirably knowledgeable about a subject
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| Word Key: Synonyms |
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answer, reply, response, retort, riposte, rejoinder
CORE MEANING: something said, written, or done in acknowledgment of a question or remark, or in reaction to a situation
answer the information requested by a spoken or written question;
He wasn't sure he had given the right answer to Question 3a.
She searched for an appropriate answer to Jason's question about job prospects.
reply a reaction, usually written or spoken, to a question, letter, or situation;
a written reply to our letter
"How do you know that?" she asked, but her friend only giggled in reply.
response a spoken or written answer, or a reaction to a situation;
Could I have your response by Wednesday?
His comments sparked an angry response in the press.
a steady improvement in ambulance response times
retort a sharp spoken reply, often to criticism;
Polly managed to suppress a cutting retort.
riposte a quick or witty reply, usually spoken;
You can never manage to deliver a witty riposte at the time, but always think of one later.
rejoinder (formal) a sharp, critical, angry, or clever reply, usually spoken;
"Of course the school is to blame," came the parents' angry rejoinder. |
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