What does "answer" mean?
A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.
Answer
/ˈæn.sɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.
- Grammar: answer is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: reply, response, result, solution.
- Useful contrasts: ap physics problem, math problem, mathematical problem.
- Usage evidence: Do you really need to ask the question to know the answer?
How to use "answer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "answer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "answer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "answer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "answer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "answer" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "reply" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "answer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 a nonverbal reaction wordnet
- 3 A solution to a problem.
"There is no simple answer to corruption."
- 4 the principal pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint; in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ (or nolo contendere); in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff's complaint that the defendant hopes to controvert and it can contain affirmative defenses or counterclaims wordnet
- 5 Someone or something that fills a similar role or position.
"Anti-pornography crusader Mary Whitehouse, who successfully brought London's Gay News to trial recently on charges of "blasphemy," is emerging as England's answer to Anita Bryant."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem wordnet
- 7 A document filed in response to a complaint, responding to each point raised in the complaint and raising counterpoints.
- 8 a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation wordnet
- 9 the speech act of replying to a question wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make a reply or response to. ambitransitive
"She answers him as if she knew his mind:"
- 2 understand the meaning of wordnet
- 3 To speak in defence against; to reply to in defence. transitive
"to answer a charge or accusation"
- 4 give the correct answer or solution to wordnet
- 5 To respond to a call by someone at a door or telephone, or other similar piece of equipment. ambitransitive
"She answered the door."
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 react to a stimulus or command wordnet
- 7 To suit a need or purpose satisfactorily. ambitransitive
"It answers the need."
- 8 respond to a signal wordnet
- 9 To be accountable or responsible; to make amends.
"The man must answer to his employer for the money entrusted to his care."
- 10 give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument) wordnet
- 11 To file a document in response to a complaint.
- 12 react verbally wordnet
- 13 To correspond to; to be in harmony with; to be in agreement with.
"1775, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Duenna, Dublin: G. Burnet et al., 1794, Act II, Scene 2, p. 25, Egad, I wish she had answer’d her picture as well."
- 14 be satisfactory for; meet the requirements of or serve the purpose of wordnet
- 15 To be opposite, or to act in opposition.
"The windows answering each other, we could just discern the glowing horizon through them […]"
- 16 match or correspond wordnet
- 17 To be or act in conformity, or by way of accommodation, correspondence, relation, or proportion; to conform; to correspond; to suit; usually with to.
"[…] that the time may haue all ſhadow, and ſilence in it: and the place anſwere to conuenience"
- 18 be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity wordnet
- 19 To respond to satisfactorily; to meet successfully by way of explanation, argument, or justification; to refute.
"[…] no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."
- 20 be liable or accountable wordnet
- 21 To be or act in compliance with, in fulfillment or satisfaction of, as an order, obligation, or demand.
"He answered my claim upon him."
- 22 To render account to or for. obsolete
"[…] I will, by to-morrow dinner-time, / Send him to answer thee, or any man, / For any thing he shall be charged withal:"
- 23 To atone for; to be punished for. obsolete
"[…] The noble Brutus / Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: / If it were so, it was a grievous fault, / And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it."
- 24 To be or act as an equivalent to, or as adequate or sufficient for; to serve for; to repay. obsolete
"A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
ap physics problemmath problemmathematical problemscientific question
Example
"Do you really need to ask the question to know the answer?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "answer"?
Common synonyms include: reply, response, result, solution, academic medicine field, accomplishment.
How do you use "answer" in a sentence?
Do you really need to ask the question to know the answer?
How do you pronounce "answer"?
Pronounced /ˈæn.sɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”).
Etymology 2
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”).