Adjacent Words

Reply definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REPLY', v.i. [L. replico; re and plico, to fold, that is, to turn or send to. See apply, Employ and Ply.]
1. To answer; to make a return in words or writing to something said or written by another.
O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Romans 9.
2. In law, to answer a defendant's plea. The defendant pleads in bar to the plaintiff's declaration; the plaintiff replies to the defendant's plea in bar.
REPLY', v.t. To return for an answer. He knows not what to reply.
REPLY', n.
1. An answer; that which is said or written in answer to what is said or written by another.
2. A book or pamphlet written in answer to another.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

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: the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange; "he growled his reply" [syn: reply, response] 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]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (replied; replying) Etymology: Middle English replien to fold back, oppose, respond, from Anglo-French replier, from Latin replicare to fold back, make a legal replication, from re- + plicare to fold — more at ply Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. a. to respond in words or writing b. echo, resound c. to make a legal replication 2. to do something in response; specifically to return gunfire or an attack transitive verb to give as an answer • replier noun II. noun (plural replies) Date: 1560 1. something said, written, or done in answer or response 2. replication 1b(2) Synonyms: see answer

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (-ies, -ied) 1 intr. (often foll. by to) make an answer, respond in word or action. 2 tr. say in answer (he replied, 'Please yourself'). --n. (pl. -ies) 1 the act of replying (what did they say in reply?). 2 what is replied; a response. 3 Law = REPLICATION. Phrases and idioms: reply coupon a coupon exchangeable for stamps in any country for prepaying the reply to a letter. reply paid 1 hist. (of a telegram) with the cost of a reply prepaid by the sender. 2 (of an envelope etc.) for which the addressee undertakes to pay postage. Derivatives: replier n. Etymology: ME f. OF replier f. L (as REPLICATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reply Re*ply" (r?-pl?"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Replied (-pl?d"); p. pr. & vb. n. Replying.] [OE. replien, OF. replier, F. r['e]pliquer, fr. L. replicare to fold back, make a reply; pref. re- re- + plicare to fold. See Ply, and cf. Replica.] 1. To make a return in words or writing; to respond; to answer. O man, who art thou that repliest against God? --Rom. ix. 20. 2. (Law) To answer a defendant's plea. 3. Figuratively, to do something in return for something done; as, to reply to a signal; to reply to the fire of a battery. Syn: To answer; respond; rejoin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reply Re*ply", v. t. To return for an answer. --Milton. Lords, vouchsafe To give me hearing what I shall reply. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reply Re*ply", n.; pl. Replies (-pl?z"). [See Reply, v. i., and cf. Replica.] That which is said, written, or done in answer to what is said, written, or done by another; an answer; a response. Syn: Answer; rejoinder; response. Usage: Reply, Rejoinder, Answer. A reply is a distinct response to a formal question or attack in speech or writing. A rejoinder is a second reply (a reply to a reply) in a protracted discussion or controversy. The word answer is used in two senses, namely (1), in the most general sense of a mere response; as, the answer to a question; or (2), in the sense of a decisive and satisfactory confutation of an adversary's argument, as when we speak of a triumphant answer to the speech or accusations of an opponent. Here the noun corresponds to a frequent use of the verb, as when we say. ``This will answer (i.e., fully meet) the end in view;'' ``It answers the purpose.''

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(replies, replying, replied) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. When you reply to something that someone has said or written to you, you say or write an answer to them. 'That's a nice dress,' said Michael. 'Thanks,' she replied solemnly... He replied that this was absolutely impossible... Grace was too terrified to reply... To their surprise, hundreds replied to the advertisement. = answer VERB: V with quote, V that, V, V to n 2. A reply is something that you say or write when you answer someone or answer a letter or advertisement. I called out a challenge, but there was no reply... David has had 12 replies to his ad... He said in reply that the question was unfair. = response N-COUNT: oft N to/from n, also in N 3. If you reply to something such as an attack with violence or with another action, you do something in response. Farmers threw eggs and empty bottles at police, who replied with tear gas... The National Salvation Front has already replied to this series of opposition moves with its own demonstrations. VERB: V with n, V to n with n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Answer, respond, rejoin. II. n. Answer, response, replication, rejoinder.

Moby Thesaurus

ESP, acknowledge, acknowledgment, action and reaction, advocate, allege in support, answer, answer back, answering, antiphon, approach, argue for, argument, assert, automatic reaction, autonomic reaction, back answer, back talk, backchat, billet, boomerang, bounceback, business letter, champion, chit, come back, come back at, come in, comeback, commerce, communicate with, communication, communion, congress, connection, contact, contend for, conversation, converse, correspond, correspondence, counter, counterblast, counterblow, counterstatement, counterstroke, dealing, dealings, defend, defense, demurrer, denial, dispatch, echo, epistle, espouse, establish connection, evasive reply, exception, exchange, favor, flash back, get to, give acknowledgment, give answer, give-and-take, information, interaction, interchange, intercommunication, intercommunion, intercourse, interplay, interrogate, letter, line, linguistic intercourse, maintain, maintain connection, make a plea, make advances, make contact with, make overtures, make up to, message, missive, note, objection, plea, plead for, pleading, predictable response, question, raise, reach, react, reaction, ready reply, rebut, rebuttal, receipt, reciprocation, recoil, reecho, reflection, reflex, reflex action, refluence, reflux, refutation, refute, rejoin, rejoinder, relate to, repartee, replication, reply to, repost, rescript, rescription, respond, respond to, respondence, response, responsion, responsory, retaliation, retort, retroaction, return, return answer, return for answer, reverberate, reverberation, revulsion, riposte, rise, say, say in defense, say in reply, shoot back, short answer, snap back, snappy comeback, social intercourse, speak for, speak up for, speaking, special demurrer, special pleading, speech, speech circuit, speech situation, stand up for, statement of defense, stick up for, support, sustain, take the bait, talk back, talking, telepathy, touch, traffic, truck, two-way communication, unthinking response, uphold, urge reasons for, witty reply, witty retort, yes-and-no answer