answer back
phrasal verb
answered back; answering back; answers back
somewhat informal
: to reply to someone especially in a rude way
impolite children who answer back when their teacher corrects them
Examples of answer back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His punny plea for Taylor Swift to perform in his country was already answered back in August, when Swift announced the Canadian leg of her Eras tour, opened by Gracie Abrams, would include six dates in Toronto in November 2024.
—
Vulture, 2 Nov. 2023
Chicago was able to waste some clock and answer back with a field goal to go up 24-6 with less than six minutes to go.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2023
The Mavericks put that attribute on full display again Thursday, answering back with three runs after host Towson began to threaten their lead.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2023
Again the Saints answered back after blocking the extra point.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023
With 3:01 left in the opening frame, Otay Ranch answered back.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
August 22, 2023 While the defense was able to answer back nicely before the end of practice — Jones’s final pass of the day came in a two-minute drill and was picked by Myles Bryant, drawing a scream from Jones — Tuesday will go down as another step in the right direction for the quarterback.
—Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
Patrick quickly answered back with his second touchdown of the contest on the kickoff return.
—Dylan Feltovich, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2023
However, their hope was wiped out less than a minute later as Vitality answered back with an incredible team goal to even it up and then took the lead shortly after.
—Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
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Vulture, 2 Nov. 2023
Chicago was able to waste some clock and answer back with a field goal to go up 24-6 with less than six minutes to go.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2023
The Mavericks put that attribute on full display again Thursday, answering back with three runs after host Towson began to threaten their lead.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2023
Again the Saints answered back after blocking the extra point.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023
With 3:01 left in the opening frame, Otay Ranch answered back.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
August 22, 2023 While the defense was able to answer back nicely before the end of practice — Jones’s final pass of the day came in a two-minute drill and was picked by Myles Bryant, drawing a scream from Jones — Tuesday will go down as another step in the right direction for the quarterback.
—Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
Patrick quickly answered back with his second touchdown of the contest on the kickoff return.
—Dylan Feltovich, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2023
However, their hope was wiped out less than a minute later as Vitality answered back with an incredible team goal to even it up and then took the lead shortly after.
—Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'answer back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near answer back
Cite this Entry
“Answer back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/answer%20back. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on answer back
Nglish: Translation of answer back for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of answer back for Arabic Speakers
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