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answer

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A response or reply.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ansur

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈænsɚ

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.

  2. A solution to a problem.

  3. after a possessivewith to

    Someone or something that fills a similar role or position.

verb

  1. transitive

    To speak in defence against; to reply to in defence.

  2. Be liable or accountable

    “She must answer for her actions.”

  3. To be accountable or responsible; to make amends.

  4. Match or correspond

    “The drawing of the suspect answers to the description the victim gave.”

  5. To correspond to; to be in harmony with; to be in agreement with.

  6. To be or act in conformity, or by way of accommodation, correspondence, relation, or proportion; to conform; to correspond; to suit; usually with to.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.

Used this way, answer is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

  • Liableverb

    “She must answer for her actions.”

  • Matchverb

    “The drawing of the suspect answers to the description the victim gave.”

More ways to use answer

  • “His answer to any problem was to get drunk.”noun
  • “The question concerning the meaning of life cannot be answered.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

correct answeranswer questions

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • do

    Something that can or should be done.

  • response

    The act of responding or replying.

  • reply

    Something given in reply.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • answerernounInflected form

    Someone who responds.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • answer forverbCompound term

    Furnish a justifying analysis or explanation.

  • answering machinenounCompound term

    An electronic device that answers the telephone and records messages.

  • evasive answernounCompound term

    An answer by a defendant that fails to admit or deny the allegations set forth in the complaint.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: response or reply

responseresolution

Antonyms

Sense: response or reply

question

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.