Meaning & use
answer
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something that you say or write in reply to a question, letter, or request.
Grammar: Countable: an answer, the answer, answers.
Patterns
- answer to something
- give an answer
- get an answer
I asked her a question, but she didn't give an answer.
His answer to my email was short and polite.
We are still waiting for an answer from the company.
nouncountable
A solution to a problem or a way to deal with a difficult situation.
Grammar: Often followed by to: the answer to the problem.
Patterns
- answer to something
- find an answer
- the answer to a problem
The answer to the puzzle was simpler than we thought.
There is no easy answer to the city's traffic problems.
Scientists are looking for an answer to the energy crisis.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To say or write something in reply to someone.
Grammar: Can take an object (answer the question) or be used alone (please answer).
Patterns
- answer someone
- answer a question
- answer with something
She answered the phone on the first ring.
He answered all the questions correctly.
When I called, no one answered.
verbintransitive
To be responsible to someone or for something; to report to a person in authority.
Grammar: Used with to: answer to a manager; answer for your actions.
Patterns
- answer to someone
- answer for something
In this job, you will answer directly to the head of department.
He had to answer for his mistakes in front of the committee.
The team answers to the project manager.
Word forms
| plural | answers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | answers |
| past tense | answered |
| past participle | answered |
| -ing form | answering |
Common combinations
- answer a question
- Please answer the question in complete sentences.
- answer the phone
- I was in the shower, so I couldn't answer the phone.
- answer to someone
- All interns answer to the senior editor.
- give an answer
- She gave a thoughtful answer to the interviewer's question.
- find an answer
- We need to find an answer to this technical problem.
- answer for something
- You will have to answer for your actions one day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reply
- Reply is often used for a written or spoken response, especially in formal contexts; answer is more general and can also mean a solution.
- response
- Response is more formal and often suggests a reaction to something; answer is more direct and common in everyday questions.
- solution
- Solution is used mainly for problems, not for replies to questions; answer can mean both.
Opposites
Word family
- answerable adjective
- Able to be answered, or responsible for something.
- unanswered adjective
- Not answered; used especially of questions or letters.
- answerer noun
- A person who answers.
Commonly confused: answer or reply? answer or response?
answer vs reply
Reply is more formal and often used for written responses; answer is more general and can also mean a solution.
answer vs response
Response is a more formal word for a reaction; answer is the everyday word for a reply to a question.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
Answer a question is the correct transitive pattern; no preposition is needed. Answer to is used for people (answer to a manager), and answer for is used for responsibility (answer for your actions).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “answer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.