RESPOND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does respond mean? 

• RESPOND (verb)
  The verb RESPOND has 3 senses:

1. show a response or a reaction to something

2. react verbally

3. respond favorably or as hoped

  Familiarity information: RESPOND used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RESPOND (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they respond    ... he / she / it responds   
Past simple: responded   
Past participle: responded   
-ing form: responding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Show a response or a reaction to something

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

react; respond

Hypernyms (to "respond" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "respond"):

bristle (react in an offended or angry manner)

refuse; reject; resist (resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ)

acknowledge; notice (express recognition of the presence or existence of, or acquaintance with)

marvel; wonder (be amazed at)

accept; consent; go for (give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to)

decline; refuse (show unwillingness towards)

answer (respond to a signal)

accept (react favorably to; consider right and proper)

explode (show a violent emotional reaction)

greet (react to in a certain way)

respond (respond favorably or as hoped)

stool (react to a decoy, of wildfowl)

accept (be sexually responsive to, used of a female domesticated mammal)

answer (react to a stimulus or command)

overreact (show an exaggerated response to something)

flip; flip out (react in an excited, delighted, or surprised way)

treat (regard or consider in a specific way)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something ----s to somebody
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

respondent (someone who responds)

respondent (replying)

responder (someone who responds)

responsive (readily reacting or replying to people or events or stimuli; showing emotion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

React verbally

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

answer; reply; respond

Context example:

We answered that we would accept the invitation

Hypernyms (to "respond" is one way to...):

say; state; tell (express in words)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "respond"):

call back (return or repeat a telephone call)

counter (speak in response)

field (answer adequately or successfully)

sass (answer back in an impudent or insolent manner)

come back; rejoin; repay; retort; return; riposte (answer back)

bridle (respond to the reins, as of horses)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to somebody

Sentence example:

They respond that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

respondent; responder (someone who responds)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Respond favorably or as hoped

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

The cancer responded to the aggressive therapy

Hypernyms (to "respond" is one way to...):

react; respond (show a response or a reaction to something)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

responder (someone who responds)

 Context examples 

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults which is not growing and responds to treatment.

(Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission, NCI Thesaurus)

He knew that he had responded to something from without, that his sensibility had been touched by a changing something in his environment; but what it was he could not discover.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

It responds to chemotherapy or radiotherapy and the prognosis relates to the tumor stage.

(Ovarian Dysgerminoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Cortisol helps you respond to stress and has many other important functions.

(Adrenal Gland Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

The T cell costimulatory signal provided by the OX40/OX40L interaction increases the clonal amplification of antigen-specific T cells and the survival of memory T cells that respond to this antigen.

(OX40 Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The state of being alert and ready to respond, or waking from sleep.

(Alert, NCI Dictionary)

A sensor designed to respond to the presence or level of oxygen in a space or environment.

(Oxygen Sensor Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

AKT phosphorylation of NF-kB promotes the survival and activation of macrophages responding to LPS.

(Beta-Catenin Accumulation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Myoinositol helps cells make membranes and respond to messages from their environment.

(Myoinositol, NCI Dictionary)

“I see that you have had some great trouble,” responded Holmes.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)