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answer has 11 distinct synonyms spread across 5 of its 15 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. Its one recorded opposite is question.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
give the correct answer or solution to
“answer a question”
give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument)
“The defendant answered to all the charges of the prosecution”
be liable or accountable
“She must answer for her actions”
match or correspond
“The drawing of the suspect answers to the description the victim gave”
be satisfactory for; meet the requirements of or serve the purpose of
“This may answer her needs”
react to a stimulus or command
“The steering of my new car answers to the slightest touch”
a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem
“they were trying to find a peaceful solution”
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for answer come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.
the speech act of replying to a question
the principal pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint; in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of `guilty' or `not guilty' (or nolo contendere); in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff's complaint that the defendant hopes to controvert and it can contain affirmative defenses or counterclaims
a nonverbal reaction
“his answer to any problem was to get drunk”