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
The mutual friend called Jack, asked for his height, and relayed the answer back to Hagerty.
—
Hannah Shirley, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, who answered back with a record-setting contract extension.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
The Red Stars answered back before halftime with a goal from Shea Groom 13 minutes later.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2025
Trubisky answered back in an end-of-game situation with his unit down 1 point, hitting two passes of 20-plus yards that helped set it up for a go-ahead field goal for its game simulation.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answer back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Hannah Shirley, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, who answered back with a record-setting contract extension.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
The Red Stars answered back before halftime with a goal from Shea Groom 13 minutes later.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2025
Trubisky answered back in an end-of-game situation with his unit down 1 point, hitting two passes of 20-plus yards that helped set it up for a go-ahead field goal for its game simulation.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answer back
Cite this Entry
“Answer back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/answer%20back. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share