respondent

1 of 2

noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt How to pronounce respondent (audio)
1
: one who responds: such as
a
: one who maintains a thesis in reply
b(1)
: one who answers in various legal proceedings (as in equity cases)
(2)
: the prevailing party in the lower court
c
: a person who responds to a poll
2
: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus compare operant

respondent

2 of 2

adjective

1
: making response : responsive
especially : being a respondent at law
2
: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward
respondent conditioning
compare operant sense 3

Examples of respondent in a Sentence

Noun A majority of respondents said they disagreed with the mayor's plan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jason Murray, of Denver, on behalf of Anderson and respondents. Shannon Stevenson, Colorado solicitor general, on behalf of Jena Griswold, Colorado secretary of state. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The phone and text survey of 500 likely voters by EMC Research found Biden the choice of just 35% of the respondents, compared to 46% for Trump. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Survey: Diversity of student body should be seen as key to role of MATC president Survey respondents repeatedly pointed to the diversity of MATC's student body as a factor the next president should not just be aware of, but be ready to embrace. Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 Costs of Raising a Child Childcare was a primary concern of parents in the NerdWallet survey, with 20% of respondents calling it their most significant financial stressor. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 29 Feb. 2024 The percentage of white respondents slightly decreased from 73.6 percent to 69.9 percent, with the 3.7 percent difference (representing approximately 1,500 people) now distributed among the other racial and ethnic groups. Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 What’s more is 62% of respondents said their goal is to leave their home to their heirs. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 During restraining order trials in Maryland, the respondent can accept the conditions of the petition — to stay away from people or places outlined by the petitioner — without admitting any guilt or wrongdoing. Katie Mettler, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Around 70% of respondents in one survey admitted to having no previous leadership training before they got assigned a leadership role. Oleksandr Strozhemin, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The respondent pool was reviewed to ensure U.S. Census targets for gender, age, race, education and home ownership were met. Hannah Drown, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2022 The legal doctrine of respondent superior states that an employer can be vicariously liable for the improper actions of its employee or agent. Tom Spiggle, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022 The salient findings of the report include, among others, the response of respondent family offices to the rising global inflation, high levels of cash holdings, and the much healthier performance of general portfolios as compared to past years. Francois Botha, Forbes, 2 May 2022 That percentage is roughly 15 percent higher than within the entire respondent pool. Paul Grein, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2022 Key respondent groups identified as Black – African (18%), Black – Caribbean (12%), Any Other Ethnicity (11%), Black Caribbean and White (10%), Indian (10%) and Asian and White (8%), among others. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 23 Aug. 2021 When a household agrees to participate, Nielsen has field representatives to contact would-be respondent homes. Brad Adgate, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2021 Absent a robust and respondent welfare state, protests have become a routine — and occasionally effective — means of social negotiation between citizens, workers and public officials. Chantal Berman, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'respondent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin respondent-, respondens, present participle of respondēre

First Known Use

Noun

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of respondent was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near respondent

Cite this Entry

“Respondent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respondent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

respondent

1 of 2 noun
re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt How to pronounce respondent (audio)
: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus
the knee jerk is a typical respondent

respondent

2 of 2 adjective
: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward
respondent conditioning
compare operant

Legal Definition

respondent

noun
re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt How to pronounce respondent (audio)
: one who answers or defends in various proceedings: as
a
: an answering party in an equitable proceeding
b
: a party against whom a petition (as for a writ of habeas corpus) seeking relief is brought
c
: an answering party in a proceeding in juvenile court or family court
specifically : a party against whom a divorce proceeding is brought
d
: a party prevailing at trial who defends the outcome on appeal : appellee
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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