Answer 'ANSWER, v.t. ansur. 1. To speak in return to a call or
question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person; as,
"I have called and ye have not answered." "He answered the question or the
argument." This may be in agreement and confirmation of what was said,
or in opposition to it. 2. To be equivalent to; to be adequate to,
or sufficient to accomplish the object. "Money answereth all things,"
noting, primarily, return. 3. To comply with, fulfill, pay or satisfy;
as, he answered my order; to answer a debt. 4. To act in return,
or opposition; as, the enemy answered our fire by a shower of grape
shot. 5. To bear a due proportion to; to be equal or adequate;
to suit; as, a weapon does not answer the size and strength of the
man using it; the success does not answer our expectation. 6. To
perform what was intended; to accomplish; as, the measure does not
answer its end; it does not answer the purpose. 7. To be opposite
to; to face; as, fire answers fire. 8. To write in reply; to reply
to another writing, by way of explanation, refutation or justification;
as, to answer a pamphlet. 9. To solve, as a proposition or problem in
mathematics. This word may be applied to a great variety of objects,
expressing the idea of a return; as the notes, or sounds of birds, and
other animals; an echo, etc. 'ANSWER, v.i. 1. To reply;
to speak by way of return; as, there is none to answer. 1 Ki 18.
2. To be accountable, liable or responsible; followed by to before the
person, and for before the thing for which one is liable; as, the man
must answer to his employer for the money entrusted to his care; we
can not answer to God for our offenses. 3. To vindicate, or give a
justificatory account of; followed by for; as, a man cannot answer for
his friend. 4. To correspond with; to suit with; followed by to.
In water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Prov 27.
5. To act reciprocally, as the strings of an instrument to the hand.
6. To stand as opposite or correlative; as, allegiance in the subject
answers to protection on the part of the prince or government. 7. To
return, as sound reverberated; to echo. The noise seems to fly away,
and answer at a great distance. 8. To succeed; to effect the object
intended; to have a good effect; as, gypsum answers as a manure on a
dry soil. ANSWER, n. 1. A reply; that which is said,
in return to a call, a question, an argument or an allegation. A
soft answer turneth away wrath. Prov. I called him, but he gave me no
answer. Song 5. 2. An account to be rendered to justice. He will
call you to so hot an answer for it. 3. In law, a counter-statement
of facts, in a course of pleadings; a confutation of what the other party
has alleged. 4. A writing, pamphlet or book, in reply to another.
5. A reverberated sound; an echo. 6. A return; that which is sent
in consequence of some petition, as a blessing is sent in answer to
prayer. 7. A solution, the result of a mathematical operation.
8. The reply of a legislative body or house to an address or message of
the supreme magistrate.
answer
n 1: a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to
reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation;
"I waited several days for his answer"; "he wrote replies
to several of his critics" [syn: answer, reply,
response]
2: a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve
the problem; "they were trying to find a peaceful solution";
"the answers were in the back of the book"; "he computed the
result to four decimal places" [syn: solution, answer,
result, resolution, solvent]
3: the speech act of replying to a question [ant: enquiry,
inquiry, interrogation, query, question]
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
5: a nonverbal reaction; "his answer to any problem was to get
drunk"; "their answer was to sue me"
v 1: react verbally; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the
question"; "We answered that we would accept the
invitation" [syn: answer, reply, respond]
2: respond to a signal; "answer the door"; "answer the
telephone"
3: give the correct answer or solution to; "answer a question";
"answer the riddle"
4: understand the meaning of; "The question concerning the
meaning of life cannot be answered" [syn: answer,
resolve]
5: give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an
argument); "The defendant answered to all the charges of the
prosecution"
6: be liable or accountable; "She must answer for her actions"
7: be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity; "A
few words would answer"; "This car suits my purpose well";
"Will $100 do?"; "A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into
medical school"; "Nothing else will serve" [syn: suffice,
do, answer, serve]
8: match or correspond; "The drawing of the suspect answers to
the description the victim gave"
9: be satisfactory for; meet the requirements of or serve the
purpose of; "This may answer her needs"
10: react to a stimulus or command; "The steering of my new car
answers to the slightest touch"
answer I. nounEtymology: Middle English, from Old English andswaru (akin
to Old Norse andsvar answer); akin to Old English and-
against, swerian to swear — more at ante-Date: before
12th century 1.a. something spoken or written in reply to a question b.
a correct response <knows the answer>
2. a reply to a legal charge or suit ;plea; alsodefense3. something done in response or reaction <his
only answer was to walk out> 4. a solution of a problem
<more money is not the answer> 5. one that imitates,
matches, or corresponds to another <television's answer to the
news magazines> Synonyms:answer, response, reply, rejoinder, retort mean something
spoken, written, or done in return. answer implies the satisfying of
a question, demand, call, or need <had answers to all their
questions>. response may imply a quick or spontaneous reaction to
a person or thing that serves as a stimulus <a response to the
call for recruits>. reply often suggests a thorough response to all
issues, points, or questions raised <a point-by-point reply to the
accusation>. rejoinder can be a response to a reply or to an objection
<a salesman with a quick rejoinder to every argument>. retort
implies a reaction to an implicit or explicit charge, criticism, or attack
which contains a countercharge or counterattack <she made a cutting
retort to her critics>. II. verb (answered;
answering)
Date: before 12th century intransitive verb1. to speak or write in reply 2.a. to be or make oneself responsible or accountable
<answer for a debt> b. to make amends ;atone <must answer for his crimes>
3. to be in conformity or correspondence <answered
to the description> 4. to act in response to an action performed
elsewhere or by another <the home team scored first but the visitors
answered quickly> 5. to be adequate ;serve <an old bucket answered for a sink>
transitive verb1.a. to speak or write in reply to <answer a question>
<answer me> b. to say or write by way of reply
<answer yes or no>
2. to reply to in rebuttal, justification, or explanation
<answer an accusation> 3.a. to correspond to <answers the description>
b. to be adequate or usable for ;fulfill
<answer a need>
4.obsolete to atone for 5. to act in response
to <answered the call to arms> 6. to offer
a solution for; especiallysolve <answer a riddle>
• answerernoun
answer n. & v. --n. 1 something said or done to deal with or in reaction to a question, statement, or circumstance. 2 the solution to a problem. --v. 1 tr. make an answer to (answer
me; answer my question). 2 intr. (often foll. by to) make an answer. 3 tr. respond to the summons or signal of (answer the door; answer the telephone). 4 tr. be satisfactory for (a purpose or
need). 5 intr. (foll. by for, to) be responsible (you will answer to me for your conduct). 6 intr. (foll. by to) correspond, esp. to a description. 7 intr. be satisfactory or
successful. Phrases and idioms: answer back answer a rebuke etc. impudently. answering machine a tape recorder which supplies a recorded answer to a telephone call. answering service a
business that receives and answers telephone calls for its clients. answer to the name of be called. Etymology: OE andswaru, andswarian f. Gmc, = swear against (charge)
answer
(answers, answering, answered)Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1. When you answer someone who has asked you something, you say something back to them.
Just answer the question...He paused before answering...'When?' asked Alba, 'Tonight', answered Tom...Williams answered that he had no specific proposals yet.VERB: V n, V, V with quote, V that
2. An answer is something that you say when you answer someone.
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and went in through the door...I don't quite know what to say in answer to your question.= reply, response
N-COUNT: also in N to n
3. If you say that someone will not take no for an answer, you mean that they go on
trying to make you agree to something even after you have refused.
He would never take no for an answer.PHRASE: with brd-neg
4. If you answer a letter or advertisement, you write to the person who wrote it.
She answered an advert for a job as a cook.VERB: V n, also V
5. An answer is a letter that you write to someone who has written to you.
I wrote to him but I never had an answer back...She wrote to Roosevelt's secretary in answer to his letter of the day before.= reply, response
N-COUNT: also in N to n
6. When you answer the telephone, you pick it up when it rings. When you answer
the door, you open it when you hear a knock or the bell.
She answered her phone on the first ring...A middle-aged woman answered the door.VERB: V n, V n, also V
• Answer is also a noun.
I knocked at the front door and there was no answer.N-COUNT: usu sing
7. An answerto a problem is a solution to it.
There are no easy answers to the problems facing the economy...Prison is not the answer for most young offenders...N-COUNT: oft N to n
8. Someone's answer to a question in a test or quiz is what they write or say in an
attempt to give the facts that are asked for. The answer to a question is the fact that
was asked for.
Simply marking an answer wrong will not help the pupil to get future examples correct...N-COUNT: oft N to n
9. When you answer a question in a test or quiz, you write or say something in an
attempt to give the facts that are asked for.
To obtain her degree, she answered 81 questions over 10 papers.VERB: V n
10. Your answerto something that someone has said or done is what you say or
do in response to it or in defence of yourself.
In answer to speculation that she wouldn't finish the race, she boldly declared her
intention of winning it.= reply, response
N-COUNT: also in N to n
11. If you answer something that someone has said or done, you respond to it.
He answered her smile with one of his own...That statement seemed designed to answer criticism of allied bombing missions.= counter
VERB: V n with n, V n, also V n by -ing
12. If something answers a need or purpose, it satisfies it, because it has the right
qualities.
We provide specially designed shopping trolleys to answer the needs of parents with
young children.= satisfy
VERB: V n
13. If someone or something answers a particular description or answers to it,
they have the characteristics described.
Two men answering the description of the suspects tried to enter Switzerland...The Japanese never built any aircraft remotely answering to this description.= fit
VERB: V n, V to n
answer
ˈɑ:nsə n. & v. --n. 1 something said or done to deal with or
in reaction to a question, statement, or circumstance. 2 the solution to
a problem. --v. 1 tr. make an answer to (answer me; answer my question). 2
intr. (often foll. by to) make an answer. 3 tr. respond to the summons or
signal of (answer the door; answer the telephone). 4 tr. be satisfactory for
(a purpose or need). 5 intr. (foll. by for, to) be responsible (you will
answer to me for your conduct). 6 intr. (foll. by to) correspond, esp. to
a description. 7 intr. be satisfactory or successful. øanswer back answer
a rebuke etc. impudently. answering machine a tape recorder which supplies
a recorded answer to a telephone call. answering service a business that
receives and answers telephone calls for its clients. answer to the name of
be called. [OE andswaru, andswarian f. Gmc, = swear against (charge)]
Answer \An"swer\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Answered; p. pr. & vb.
n. Answering.] [OE. andswerien, AS. andswerian, andswarian,
to answer, fr. andswaru, n., answer. See Answer, n.]
1. To speak in defense against; to reply to in defense; as,
to answer a charge; to answer an accusation.
2. 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.
So spake the apostate angel, though in pain: . . .
And him thus answered soon his bold compeer.
--Milton.
3. To respond to satisfactorily; to meet successfully by way
of explanation, argument, or justification, and the like;
to refute.
No man was able to answer him a word. --Matt. xxii.
46.
These shifts refuted, answer thine appellant.
--Milton.
The reasoning was not and could not be answered.
--Macaulay.
4. To be or act in return or response to. Hence:
(a) To be or act in compliance with, in fulfillment or
satisfaction of, as an order, obligation, demand; as,
he answered my claim upon him; the servant answered
the bell.
This proud king . . . studies day and night To
answer all the debts he owes unto you. --Shak.
(b) To render account to or for.
I will . . . send him to answer thee. --Shak.
(c) To atone; to be punished for.
And grievously hath C[ae]zar answered it.
--Shak.
(d) To be opposite to; to face.
The windows answering each other, we could just
discern the glowing horizon them. --Gilpin.
(e) To be or act an equivalent to, or as adequate or
sufficient for; to serve for; to repay. [R.]
Money answereth all things. --Eccles. x.
19.
(f) To be or act in accommodation, conformity, relation,
or proportion to; to correspond to; to suit.
Weapons must needs be dangerous things, if they
answered the bulk of so prodigious a person.
--Swift.
Answer \An"swer\, v. i.
1. To speak or write by way of return (originally, to a
charge), or in reply; to make response.
There was no voice, nor any that answered. --1 Kings
xviii. 26.
2. 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.
Let his neck answer for it, if there is any martial
law. --Shak.
3. To be or act in return. Hence:
(a) To be or act by way of compliance, fulfillment,
reciprocation, or satisfaction; to serve the purpose;
as, gypsum answers as a manure on some soils.
Do the strings answer to thy noble hand?
--Dryden.
(b) To be opposite, or to act in opposition.
(c) To be or act as an equivalent, or as adequate or
sufficient; as, a very few will answer.
(d) 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 have all shadow and silence in
it, and the place answer to convenience. --Shak.
If this but answer to my just belief, I 'll
remember you. --Shak.
As in water face answereth to face, so the heart
of man to man. --Pro?. xxvii.
19.
Answer \An"swer\, n. [OE. andsware, AS. andswaru; and against +
swerian to swear. ?, ?. See Anti-, and Swear, and cf. 1st
un-.]
1. A reply to a change; a defense.
At my first answer no man stood with me. --2 Tim.
iv. 16.
2. Something said or written in reply to a question, a call,
an argument, an address, or the like; a reply.
A soft answer turneth away wrath. --Prov. xv. 1.
I called him, but he gave me no answer. --Cant. v.
6.
3. Something done in return for, or in consequence of,
something else; a responsive action.
Great the slaughter is Here made by the Roman; great
the answer be Britons must take. --Shak.
4. A solution, the result of a mathematical operation; as,
the answer to a problem.
5. (Law) A counter-statement of facts in a course of
pleadings; a confutation of what the other party has
alleged; a responsive declaration by a witness in reply to
a question. In Equity, it is the usual form of defense to
the complainant's charges in his bill. --Bouvier.
Syn: Reply; rejoinder; response. See Reply.
ANSWER
an'-ser: In our English Bible the word "answer" does not always mean a simple
reply to a question.
1. In the Old Testament:
Six different words are translated by answer.
(1) It is frequently used where no question has been asked and in such cases
it means a word, a statement.
(2) It also means a response (Job 21:34; 34:36).
(3) It often means a declaration or proclamation from God where no question
has been asked. See the many passages that read: "The Lord answered and said."
(4) The other words translated "answer" or "answered" in the Old Testament
are unimportant shadings and variations.
2. In the New Testament:
The words translated "answer" are not so varied.
(1) It sometimes means an apology, a defense (1Pe 3:15; Ac 24:10,25).
(2) It may mean simply "to say" (Mr 9:6).
(3) It may mean a revelation from God (Ro 11:4).
(4) It is also used to apply to unspoken thoughts of the heart, especially
in the sayings of Jesus; also by Peter to Sapphira (Ac 5:8).
G. H. Gerberding
answer
I. v. n.1. Reply (especially to a question), rejoin, respond, say in reply, make answer,
reply, or response.
2. Be accountable, be responsible or liable, be security, go surety.
3. Correspond, be correlated, be counterpart, be like, be similar.
4. Do, pass, serve, suit, be sufficient, be enough, do well enough, pass muster, be of use.
II. v. a.1. Reply to, respond to, make answer to.
2. Refute, meet by argument or explanation.
3. Satisfy, fulfil, be suitable to, be sufficient for.
III. n.1. Reply, response, rejoinder, replication, retort, counter-statement.
2. Refutation, confutation, defence, plea.
answer
ˈɑ:nsə n.
1 reply, response; rejoinder, retort, riposte, Colloq comeback: The boy's answer is
unprintable.
2 Law defence, counter-statement, plea, explanation; Technical declaration, plea,
replication, rejoinder, surrejoinder, rebutter or rebuttal, surrebutter or surrebuttal: Her
answer to the charge was 'Not Guilty'.
3 solution, explanation: Ten points were taken off because I had the wrong answer to
question three. --v.
4 reply, respond; retort, rejoin, riposte: When I ask you a question, I expect you
to answer.
5 satisfy, fulfil, suffice for, meet, suit, serve, fit, fill, conform to, correlate with:
The bequest answered my needs for the moment.
6 answer back. talk back (to): How dare you answer your father back!
7 answer for. a be accountable or responsible or answerable for, be to blame for; take
or undertake responsibility for; sponsor, support, guarantee: I answer alone to Allah for my
motives. So shall my righteousness answer for me. b make amends for, atone for, suffer the
consequences of: Caesar was ambitious and he answered for it with his life. c take or accept
the blame for: Andy shouldn't have to answer for his brother's shortcomings.
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