Definition

1. Verb:
   • To say or do something as a reaction to something that has been said or done: "respond" means to react to a stimulus, question, or situation with words or actions.
   • To react in a desired or favorable way: In specific contexts, especially medical or mechanical, "respond" means to react positively to a treatment or input.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The company must respond to customer complaints quickly. (The company must react to customer complaints quickly.)
  • How did she respond to the news? (How did she react to the news?)
  • The patient is beginning to respond to the new medication. (The patient is beginning to react favorably to the new medication.)

Advanced Usage

• "to respond to treatment": to show improvement after receiving medical care.

  • The infection is slow to respond to antibiotics. (The infection is slow to improve with antibiotic treatment.)

• "to respond in kind": to react with a similar action or behavior.

  • After the friendly gesture, he responded in kind. (After the friendly gesture, he reacted with a similar friendly gesture.)

Variants and Related Words

• Response (n): an answer or reaction.

  • We are awaiting a response from the manager. (We are awaiting an answer from the manager.)

• Responsive (adj): reacting quickly and positively.

  • The new material is highly responsive to temperature changes. (The new material reacts quickly to temperature changes.)

• Respondent (n): a person who answers or responds, especially in a legal context or survey.

  • The survey had over a thousand respondents. (The survey had over a thousand people who answered.)

Synonyms

• Answer: to say or write something as a reply.
• React: to act or behave in a particular way in answer to something.
• Reply: to say or write something as an answer.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Respond" is not commonly used with particles to form distinct phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically conveyed alone or with the preposition "to.")

Related Idioms

• "To rise to the occasion": This idiom is related in meaning, describing a positive and effective response to a challenge, though it does not contain the word "respond."
  • When the system failed, the team rose to the occasion and found a solution. (When the system failed, the team responded effectively and found a solution.)

Verb

1. respond favorably or as hoped
   • The cancer responded to the aggressive therapy
2. react verbally
   • She didn't want to answer
   • answer the question
   • We answered that we would accept the invitation
3. show a response or a reaction to something