answer
answer — noun
1. the words or actions someone gives back after being asked a question, sent a let
the words or actions someone gives back after being asked a question, sent a letter, or called on the phone.
Theo waited two weeks for an answer to her job application.
answer to + noun phrase
When the teacher asked who broke the window, no one gave an answer.
give an answer
Dimitri sent three emails but got no answer from the landlord.
Theo's answer was a quiet nod and a small smile.
Please write your answers in full sentences on the back of the page.
- question
what an answer responds to
文法句型
answer to + noun
give an answer
用法筆記
Used for both spoken replies and written responses, including answers on tests and exam papers. Typically takes the preposition 'to' before the question or letter being answered.
常見錯誤
2. a way of dealing with a problem or difficult situation so that the trouble goes
a way of dealing with a problem or difficult situation so that the trouble goes away — for example, a new policy that ends traffic jams, or a method that fixes a broken machine.
Building more bike lanes is one answer to the city's traffic problem.
answer to + problem
Mr. Kim told the staff there was no easy answer to the noisy classroom problem.
no easy answer
For Tomás, moving back home was the answer to his money worries.
Engineers searched for an answer to the strange noise inside the engine.
The mayor said more police were not the only answer to street crime.
- problem
the thing the answer is meant to solve
文法句型
answer to + problem
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: a 'solution' answer fixes a problem, while a sense-1 answer simply replies to a question or letter. Often appears with 'easy', 'simple', 'real', or 'only' before it.
常見錯誤
answer — verb
1. to give somebody words back — spoken, written, or signalled — after they have as
to give somebody words back — spoken, written, or signalled — after they have asked you a question, sent you a letter, or spoken to you.
Yusuf answered every question in the math test correctly.
answer + question (transitive)
I asked him three times, but he didn't answer.
intransitive use
Tomás answered that he had never been to Tokyo before.
'I'm not sure,' Dr. Noa answered with a small shrug.
Please answer my email by Friday afternoon at the latest.
文法句型
answer + question
answer + that-clause
answer + direct speech
用法筆記
Object can be the question, the person, or the letter/message — all are correct ('answer the question', 'answer me', 'answer the letter'). Distinguish from sense 2: replying with words versus opening a door or picking up a ringing phone.
常見錯誤
2. to pick up a ringing phone so that you can speak, or to open the front door when
to pick up a ringing phone so that you can speak, or to open the front door when somebody knocks or rings the bell.
Could you answer the phone? My hands are covered in flour.
answer the phone
Yusuf ran downstairs to answer the door before his sister woke up.
answer the door
I rang the bell three times, but nobody answered.
Please don't answer the door to strangers, especially after dark.
The cafe was so noisy that the owner couldn't hear the phone to answer it.
- ignore
to deliberately not answer the phone or door
文法句型
answer the phone / door / bell
用法筆記
Object is almost always 'the phone', 'the door', or 'the bell' — not the person calling or knocking. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about responding physically (lifting the receiver, opening the door), not giving a verbal reply.
常見錯誤
3. to be known by a particular name, especially the name a pet or person responds t
to be known by a particular name, especially the name a pet or person responds to when called.
Our neighbor's golden retriever answers to the name Biscuit.
answer to the name + name
The grey kitten answers to Mochi but ignores any other word.
answers to + name
On stage the comedian Edward Park answered to the name 'Big Eddie'.
The little parrot only answers to Kiwi when Grandma calls.
文法句型
answer to the name (of) + name
用法筆記
Almost always used in the structure 'answer to the name (of) X', and most often about pets, nicknames, or stage names rather than legal names. Do not confuse with the phrasal verb 'answer to' (= report to a boss); see the 'answer to' entry below.
常見錯誤
4. to be good enough or right for what somebody wants — for example, a small van th
to be good enough or right for what somebody wants — for example, a small van that does the work of a big truck, or a cheap room that meets all of a traveller's basic needs.
For a weekend in the mountains, an old tent answered our needs perfectly.
answer + needs
The little library answered every purpose the village had hoped for.
answer + purpose
A second-hand bicycle would answer Tomás's daily commute very well.
The new software answers most of the requirements set by the engineering team.
- fail
to not be enough for what is needed
文法句型
answer + a need / purpose / requirement
用法筆記
Formal and somewhat literary; in everyday speech 'meet (the needs)', 'be enough', or 'do the job' are far more common. Object is almost always an abstract noun: 'needs', 'purpose', 'description', 'requirements'.
常見錯誤
5. to look like, or have the same features as, somebody (or something) that has jus
to look like, or have the same features as, somebody (or something) that has just been described — often used by police searching for a suspect or a missing person.
A man answering the description of the thief was seen near the train station.
answer (the) description (transitive)
The lost dog answers to the description Mrs. Park gave the shelter staff.
answer to + description
Officers stopped a young woman who answered the description of the missing hiker.
None of the cars in the lot answered to the description in the witness's report.
- match
neutral and more common in everyday speech
- fit
very common; 'fit the description' is the most natural choice
- correspond to
formal; used in technical or written contexts
- differ from
to not match the description given
文法句型
answer (to) + a description
用法筆記
Both 'answer the description' and 'answer to the description' are correct; 'answer to' is a little more formal and common in police or news reports. The object is almost always 'description' or a similar noun like 'profile'.