answer
UK /ˈɑːn.sə/ · US /ˈæn.sɚ/ noun, verb
Forms answers answering answered answeare aunswer aunswere
- noun A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question. “Her answer to his proposal was a slap in the face.”
- noun A solution to a problem. “There is no simple answer to corruption.”
- noun (after a possessive, with to) Someone or something that fills a similar role or position.
- noun (law) A document filed in response to a complaint, responding to each point raised in the complaint and raising counterpoints.
- verb (ambitransitive) To make a reply or response to. “He answered the question.”
- verb (transitive) To speak in defence against; to reply to in defence. “to answer a charge or accusation”
- verb (ambitransitive) To respond to a call by someone at a door or telephone, or other similar piece of equipment. “She answered the door.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To suit a need or purpose satisfactorily. “It answers the need.”
- verb To be accountable or responsible; to make amends. “The man must answer to his employer for the money entrusted to his care.”
- verb (law) To file a document in response to a complaint.
- verb To correspond to; to be in harmony with; to be in agreement with.
- verb To be opposite, or to act in opposition.
Synonyms
replication answer for reply response solution result resolution solvent respond resolve suffice do serve
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English answere, andsware, from Old English andswaru (“answer”), from and- (“against”) + swaru (“affirmation”), (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“front, forehead”) and Old English swerian (“to swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer-), suggesting an original meaning of "a sworn statement rebutting a charge". The cognates suggest the existence of Proto-Germanic *andaswarō (“a reply to a question”). Cognate with Old Frisian ondser (“answer”), Old Saxon andswōr (“answer”), Danish and Swedish ansvar (“liability, responsibility, answer”), Icelandic andsvar (“answer, response”). Compare also Old English andwyrde (“answer”) (cognate to Dutch antwoord, German Antwort), Old English andcwiss (“reply”), German Schwur (“oath, vow”).
From Middle English answeren, andswaren, answerien, from Old English andswarian, answarien (“to answer, to respond, to deny an allegation under oath”), from Proto-Germanic *andaswarōną, *andaswarjaną (“to answer, to give a response, to rebut”), from *anda- (“against”) + *swarjaną, *swarōną (“to swear an oath, to answer, to respond”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“face, forehead”) and *swer- (“to swear”). Cognate with Old Frisian ondswera (“to answer”), Danish ansvare (“to answer, account for”), Swedish ansvara (“to answer, account for”), Icelandic andsvara (“to answer, reply”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To speak in defense against; to reply to in defense; as, to answer a charge; to answer an accusation.
- verb To speak or write in return to, as in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration, argument, or the like; to reply to (a question, remark, etc.); to respond to. She answers him as if she knew his mind. Shak.
- verb To speak or write by way of return (originally, to a charge), or in reply; to make response.
- verb To make a satisfactory response or return. Hence: To render account, or to be responsible; to be accountable; to make amends; as, the man must answer to his employer for the money intrusted to his care.
Etymology [OE. andswerien, AS. andswerian, andswarian, to answer, fr. andswaru, n., answer. See Answer, n.]
Etymology [OE. andsware, AS. andswaru; and against + swerian to swear. Anti-, and Swear, and cf. 1st un-.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “answer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details