reply

A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.

Noun

  1. A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
    • For example, it is said that someone at a party once asked the famous philosopher Ly Tin Weedle ‘Why are you here?’ And the reply took three years. - 1986, Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic, published 2022, page 12:
  2. Something given in reply.
  3. A counterattack.
  4. The answer of a figure.
  5. A document written by a party specifically replying to a responsive declaration and in some cases an answer.

Origin

From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“to fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

Forms

replies

Synonyms

answer comeback response retort return account rejoinder riposte reaction rebuttal

Related

respond

Derived

autoreply counterreply misreply nonreply auto-reply business reply international reply coupon refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram replyallpocalypse reply all storm reply device reply girl reply guy reply-ping reply vehicle timestamp reply

Verb

  1. To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
    • (intransitive) Please reply to my letter.
    • (transitive) "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.
    • (transitive) He replied that he was not sure.
  2. To act or gesture in response.
    • Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face.
    • It is a sound to be dreaded until you ascertain that it is being made by friendly forces; even then, your welcome to it must be tempered with some caution, because gunfire usually leads to replying gunfire[…] - 1988,...
    • […] bulged the onion bag for the Blades, and Downes and Prendergast replied for the Owls. - 2012, Steve Cowens, Steel City Rivals:
  3. To repeat something back; to echo.

Forms

replies replying replied

Synonyms

respond answer retort answer back react rejoin counter return revert follow up get back to

Derived

autoreply counterreply misreply nonreplying replyer replyingly unrepliable unreplied unreplying