Answer
Answer verb - To speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction.
Usage example: didn't answer right away when the detective asked him where he'd been for the last three hours
Respond is a synonym for answer in reply topic. In some cases you can use "Respond" instead the word "Answer" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like speech, ask, acknowledgement, come again. popular alternative
Respond
Respond verb - To act or behave in response (as to a stimulus or influence).
Usage example: doctors studying how the brain responds to pain
Answer is a synonym for respond in ask topic. You can use "Answer" instead the word "Respond" as a verb or a noun, if it concerns topics such as acknowledgement, affirmation, reply, come again. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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Before Judy takes the podium at a press conference, Nick coaches her not to answer the reporters' questions directly, but rather to respond with another question and answer that instead.
Source: Disney / Zootopia - Someone does not directly answer a question (and might not technically respond at all) — but still makes him/herself crystal clear.
Source: Implied Answer - And if you ask them a question they don't wanna answer, chances are they'll respond with "One rabbi would say yes, and the other would say no", a quote from an episode where Louie asks religious authorities about what happens after death.
Cite this Source
Respond and Answer. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/answer/respond
Answer & Respond. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/answer/respond>.
Respond or Answer. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/answer/respond.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "answer" and "respond" have occurred on timeline