Reply

//ɹɪˈplaɪ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
  2. 2
    a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation wordnet
  3. 3
    Something given in reply.
  4. 4
    the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange wordnet
  5. 5
    A counterattack.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    The answer of a figure.
  2. 7
    A document written by a party specifically replying to a responsive declaration and in some cases an answer. US
Verb
  1. 1
    To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer. intransitive, transitive

    "(intransitive) Please reply to my letter."

  2. 2
    react verbally wordnet
  3. 3
    To act or gesture in response. intransitive

    "Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face."

  4. 4
    To repeat something back; to echo. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
answeransweranswerrespondrespondresponse

Example

More examples

"All that you have to do is to wait for his reply."

Etymology

From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“I fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“I fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

Related phrases

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.