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(ăn'sər)
n.

1. 1. A spoken or written reply, as to a question.
   2. A correct reply.
2. 1. A solution, as to a problem.
   2. A correct solution.
3. An act in retaliation or response: Our only possible answer was to sue.
4. Something markedly similar to another of the same class: cable TV's answer to the commercial networks' sportscasts.
5. Law. A defendant's defense against charges.

v., -swered, -swer·ing, -swers.

v.intr.

1. To speak, write, or act as a return, as to a question.
2. To be liable or accountable: You must answer for your actions.
3. To serve the purpose; suffice: "Often I do use three words where one would answer" (Mark Twain).
4. To correspond; match: I found a dog answering to that description.

v.tr.

1. To speak, write, or act as a return to; respond to.
2. To respond correctly to.
3. To fulfill the demands or needs of; serve: "My fortune has answered my desires" (Isaak Walton).
4. To conform or correspond to: The suspect answers the description given by the police.

[Middle English answere, from Old English andswaru.]

SYNONYMS   answer, respond, reply, retort. These verbs relate to action taken in return to a stimulus. Answer, respond, and reply, the most general, all mean to speak, write, or act in response: Please answer my question. Did you expect the President to respond personally to your letter? The opposing team scored three runs; the home team replied with two of their own. Respond also denotes a reaction, either voluntary (A bystander responded to the victim's need for help) or involuntary (She responded in spite of herself to the antics of the puppy). To retort is to answer verbally in a quick, caustic, or witty manner: She won the debate by retorting sharply to her opponent's questions. See also synonyms at satisfy.

Defendant’s principal pleading in response to the plaintiff’s complaint. It must contain a denial of all the allegations the defendant wishes to dispute, as well as any affirmative defenses by the defendant and any counterclaim against the plaintiff.

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noun

1. Something spoken or written in return, as to a question or demand: rejoinder, reply, response. See ask/answer.
2. Something worked out to explain, resolve, or provide a method for dealing with and settling a problem: determination, solution. Mathematics result. See ask/answer.

verb

1. To speak or act in response, as to a question: rejoin, reply, respond, retort, return, riposte. See ask/answer.
2. To meet a need or requirement: do, serve, suffice, suit. See excess/insufficiency/enough, help/harm/harmless.
3. To supply fully or completely: fill, fulfill, meet, satisfy. See do/not do.

Idioms beginning with answer:
answer to

See also know all the answers; take no for an answer.

n

Definition: reply; reaction
Antonyms: question

v

Definition: reply, react
Antonyms: ask, question

In a fugal exposition, an entry of the theme at the pitch interval of (usually) a 4th or 5th from the Subject. To preserve its tone-semitone relationships and to define the tonic key, a theme may be altered when it is ‘answered’. An altered answer is called ‘tonal’, an unaltered ‘real’.

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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The first responsive pleading filed by the defendant in a civil action; a formal written statement that admits or denies the allegations in the complaint and sets forth any available affirmative defenses.

The answer gives the plaintiff notice of the issues the defendant will raise as the case progresses and enables the plaintiff to adequately prepare a case. In most jurisdictions, the answer must be filed within twenty days after receipt of the summons and complaint, although local rules and customs may dictate different filing times.

The answer begins with a caption, which identifies the location of the action, the court, the docket or file number (assigned by the court), and the title of the case (comprising the names of the parties, e.g., Smith v. Jones). Following the caption, the main body of the answer sets forth admissions or denials that respond to each allegation made in the complaint. In federal court and in jurisdictions that follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, denials must be unambiguous and stated in concise language that clearly identifies the allegations being denied (Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(b)). For example, if the complaint alleges that the defendant was driving an automobile that struck the plaintiff on Addison Street in Chicago on March 11, an answer stating that the defendant was in Milwaukee on March 11 is unclear and ambiguous because it avoids the question of whether the defendant was also in Chicago at a different time on the same day.

The answer may plead any form of denial that is truthful and made in good faith. Although general denials that deny the truth of every fact in the complaint or of every element of a charge are sometimes used, they are not considered a sufficient response. Courts discourage general denials because they fail to respond to specific allegations and do not give the plaintiff sufficient basis to prepare a case. If the defendant lacks the knowledge or information needed to respond to the truth or falsity of a charge, rule 8(b) and similar rules in other jurisdictions allow the defendant to state such in the answer. This has the effect of a denial (rule 8(b)). If the defendant fails to respond to an allegation by either denying it or by stating he or she does not have the information necessary to admit or deny it, it is considered admitted under rule 8(d).

Following the admissions and denials, the answer outlines any affirmative defenses available to the defendant. Affirmative defenses, which are grounded in substantive law, state that an allegation may or may not be true, but that even if it is true, the law provides a legal defense that defeats the plaintiff's claim. The defendant must determine if the law allows an affirmative defense to a charge, and must allege sufficient facts to support the defense. For example, in a negligence action, the defendant might respond to an allegation that a duty of care was owed to the plaintiff by stating that, even if the allegation is true, the plaintiff assumed the risk of the activity that led to the injury. The defendant must then state the facts that support the defense. It is critical to the defendant's case that all applicable affirmative defenses are asserted. In most jurisdictions, affirmative defenses not raised in a timely manner in the defendant's responsive pleading are deemed to have been waived.

The answer, like the complaint, ends with a "wherefore" clause that summarizes the defendant's demands, such as demands for a jury trial and judgment in the defendant's favor. Only one wherefore clause is generally needed, although local practice may dictate that each denial and each affirmative defense have its own wherefore clause.

Counterclaims and cross-claims sometimes appear in the answer. A counterclaim arises when the defendant's response includes a claim against the plaintiff. A counterclaim may come from the same circumstances as the plaintiff's claim or from a different set of facts. A cross-claim may be filed when one party to a suit charges another party with responsibility for the plaintiff's injuries or damages. Under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure rule 13(g), a cross-claim must arise out of "the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter either of the original action or of a counterclaim therein or relating to any property that is the subject matter of the original action." A cross-claim may also be filed separately from the answer. Because counterclaims and cross-claims raise new issues and initiate a separate cause of action, they must meet the procedural requirements of a complaint.

See: civil procedure.

In a fugue, the second entry of the subject.

IN BRIEF: To reply with words or actions.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

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sign description: Both index fingers, one at the mouth and one in front of the body move forward and downward at the same time.

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For a list of words related to answer, see:

• Questions and Answers - answer: respond to question or accusation; reply

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See words rhyming with "answer."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Answer.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - svar, besvarelse, løsning
v. intr. - svare
v. tr. - svare på, besvare

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    svare bekræftende
• answer back    svare igen
• answer for    stå til ansvar for, svare for
• answer in the affirmative    bekræftende svar, antagende svar
• answer mode    svartilstand
• answer the call of nature    træde af på naturens vegne
• answer the door    lukke op
• answering machine    telefonsvarer
• answering service    telefonvagt

Nederlands (Dutch)
(be)antwoorden (aan), reageren op, antwoord, reactie, oplossing, verdediging, tegenhanger

Français (French)
n. - réponse, solution, réplique, riposte, réfutation, (Comm) suite à, en réponse à, (Jur) réponse à, (Relig) exaucement, (fig) problème, explication
v. intr. - répondre, donner une réponse, faire l'affaire, réussir
v. tr. - répondre à, correspondre à, exaucer, résoudre, satisfaire, (Jur) répondre à, réfuter, (Naut) obéir à la barre

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    répondre par l'affirmative
• answer back    répliquer, répondre avec impertinence
• answer for    justifier, répondre de, se porter garant de, être responsable de, garantir qch
• answer mode    (Comput, Télécom) mode de réponse
• answer the call of nature    répondre à l'appel de la nature
• answer the door    ouvrir la porte
• answering machine    répondeur automatique
• answering service    messagerie téléphonique
• in answer to    en réponse à, suite à

Deutsch (German)
n. - Antwort, Lösung
v. - antworten, beantworten, erfüllen

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    bestätigend antworten
• answer back    Kontra geben
• answer for    verantworten
• answer mode    Antwortmodus
• answer the call of nature    seine Notdurft verrichten
• answer the door    die Tür öffnen (auf Klingeln/Klopfen hin)
• answering machine    Anrufbeantworter
• answering service    Fernsprechauftragsdienst
• in answer to    als Antwort od. Reaktion auf etw.

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - απάντηση, απόκριση, (μαθημ.) λύση
v. - απαντώ, αποκρίνομαι, ανταποκρίνομαι, εγγυώμαι, αναλαμβάνω την ευθύνη, λογοδοτώ, αποκρούω (κατηγορία)

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    απαντώ καταφατικά
• answer back    αντιμιλώ, αυθαδιάζω
• answer for    εγγυώμαι για, δίνω λόγο για, απαντώ για λογαριασμό, δίνω εξηγήσεις ή λογαριασμό για, λογοδοτώ
• answer in the affirmative    απαντώ καταφατικά
• answer mode    (σε φαξ ή μόντεμ) φάση αυτόματης απάντησης
• answer the call of nature    πάω για φυσική ανάγκη
• answer the door    ανοίγω την πόρτα (όταν χτυπά το κουδούνι)
• answering machine    αυτόματος τηλεφωνητής
• answering service    υπηρεσία απάντησης τηλεφωνημάτων

Italiano (Italian)
rispondere, soddisfare a, risposta, soluzione

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    rispondere affermativamente
• answer back    replicare
• answer for    giustificare, rispondere di
• answer in the affirmative    rispondere affermativamente
• answering machine    segreteria telefonica
• answering service    servizio di segreteria telefonica

Português (Portuguese)
n. - resposta (f), réplica (f), retribuição (f), contestação (f)
v. - responder, replicar, retrucar, atender, obedecer, solucionar problemas, retribuir

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    responder afirmativamente
• answer back    responder com insolência
• answer for    ser responsável por
• answer in the affirmative    responder na afirmativa
• answer the call of nature    responder ao chamado da natureza
• answering machine    secretária (f) eletrônica
• answering service    serviço (m) de mensagens

Русский (Russian)
отвечать, решать, объяснять, ответ, решение

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    ответить утвердительно
• answer back    огрызаться
• answer for    отвечать за, ручаться за
• answer in the affirmative    дать положительный ответ
• answer the call of nature    пойти в уборную
• answering machine    электронная секретарша
• answering service    служба ответа в отсутствие тех кому звонят

Español (Spanish)
n. - contestación, respuesta, solución
v. intr. - contestar, responder, servir, llenar
v. tr. - contestar, responder, cumplir, satisfacer, servir para

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    contestar afirmativamente, dar una respuesta afirmativa
• answer back    replicar, contestar con impertinencia
• answer for    dar cuenta de, responder por, garantizar, hablar en nombre de, ser responsable de
• answer mode    en modo de respuesta
• answer the call of nature    hacer sus necesidades, defecar, hacer de cuerpo
• answer the door    atender la puerta
• answering machine    contestador automático
• answering service    servicio comercial que recibe llamados y mensajes
• in answer to    en respuesta a

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - svar, lösning
v. - svara, besvara, motsvara

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
回答, 复信, 答复, 答案, 答辩, 适用, 回答说, 答道

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    赞成
• answer back    应答, 回答信号
• answer for    对...负责, 因...而受罚
• answer in the affirmative    赞成
• answer mode    回答模式
• answer the call of nature    解手
• answer the door    应声去开门
• answering machine    电话应答机
• answering service    电话应答服务

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 回答, 復信, 答復, 答案
v. intr. - 回答, 答辯, 答復, 適用
v. tr. - 回答, 回答說, 答復, 答道

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    贊成
• answer back    應答, 回答信號
• answer for    對...負責, 因...而受罰
• answer in the affirmative    贊成
• answer mode    回答模式
• answer the call of nature    解手
• answer the door    應聲去開門
• answering machine    電話應答機
• answering service    電話應答服務

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 해답[답]
v. intr. - 대답하다, 책임을 지다, 성공하다
v. tr. - ~에 답하다, ~를 풀다, ~을 갚다

idioms:

• answer back    말대꾸하다
• answer for    긍정적으로 대답하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 答える, 出る, 一致する, かなう, 保証する, 責任を負う
n. - 答え, 反応, 解答

idioms:

• answer affirmatively    肯定的に応える
• answer back    口答えをする
• answer for    代わりに答える, 責任を負う, …にかなう
• answer in the affirmative    肯定する
• answer the call of nature    生理的欲求に答える
• answer the door    応待に出る

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) جواب, رد, استجابه (فعل) يجيب, يرد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תשובה, פתרון‬
v. intr. - ‮השיב, ענה על-, התאים לתיאור, היה אחראי ל-, סיפק, הצליח‬
v. tr. - ‮השיב, הגיב ל-, סיפק, הלם את‬

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