respond

English

Etymology

From Old French respondre (Modern répondre), from Latin respondeō.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒnd

Noun

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈspɒnd/

Verb

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈspɒnd/, /ˈɹiːˌspɒnd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

respond ‎(third-person singular simple present responds, present participle responding, simple past and past participle responded)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To say something in return; to answer; to reply.

   to respond to a question or an argument

2. (intransitive) To act in return; to exhibit some action or effect in return to a force or stimulus; to do something in response; to accord.
   • 2012 January 1, Robert M. Pringle, “How to Be Manipulative”, in American Scientist^[1], volume 100, number 1, page 31:

     As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To correspond with; to suit.
   • Fairfax

     For his great deeds respond his speeches great.

4. (transitive) To satisfy; to answer.

   The prisoner was held to respond the judgment of the court.

Derived terms

• responder
• responsive

Translations

to say something in return

• Afrikaans: antwoord
• Asturian: responder
• Burmese: ထူး (my) ‎(htu:)
• Catalan: respondre (ca)
• French: répondre (fr)
• Friulian: rispuindi
• Galician: responder (gl)
• German: antworten (de)
• Italian: rispondere (it)
• Norman: èrpotchi

• Ladin: respuender
• Lojban: spuda
• Maori: urupare, kātoitoi, tāoro
• Occitan: respondre (oc)
• Portuguese: responder (pt)
• Romanian: răspunde (ro)
• Romansch: respunder
• Russian: отвеча́ть (ru) impf ‎(otvečátʹ), отве́тить (ru) pf ‎(otvétitʹ)
• Sardinian: rispòndhere
• Sicilian: rispùnniri (scn)
• Spanish: responder (es)
• Tok Pisin: bekim tok

to act in return

• Asturian: responder
• French: répondre (fr), répondre (fr)
• German: reagieren (de)
• Norman: èrpotchi
• Italian: rispondere (it)
• Malay: bertindak balas

• Maori: tāoro
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: reagere (no), svare (no)

• Portuguese: responder (pt)
• Spanish: responder (es)

to correspond

• French: répondre (fr)
• Norman: èrpotchi

• Spanish: responder (es)
• Tok Pisin: bekim tok, tok

to satisfy

• French: répondre (fr)

• Greek: ανταποκρίνομαι (el) ‎(antapokrínomai)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} respondi (eo)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} rispondere (it)

Noun

respond ‎(plural responds)

1. A response.
2. A versicle or short anthem chanted at intervals during the reading of a lection.
3. (architecture) A half-pillar, pilaster, or any corresponding device engaged in a wall to receive the impost of an arch.

Related terms

• response
• responsible
• responsibleness
• responsibly
• responsibility
• responsive
• responsively
• responsiveness

See also

• react

References

• respond in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• respond in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• ponders