respondent

noun re·spon·dent \ ri-ˈspän-dənt \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: respondent in a Sentence

Definition of respondent

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

See respondent defined for English-language learners

Examples of respondent in a Sentence

A majority of respondents said they disagreed with the mayor's plan.

Recent Examples of respondent from the Web

Seventy percent of respondents to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll last year — including 59 percent of Republicans — said the federal government should continue prohibiting insurers from charging these folks more for coverage.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: The Trump administration has given Democrats a generous political gift," 14 June 2018
The next governor should keep Medicaid expansion in Ohio, 77 percent of respondents said.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "This new poll about Ohio's 2018 election should worry Republicans," 12 June 2018
Overall, 69% of respondents to the latest poll on the Affordable Care Act by the Kaiser Family Foundation favored prohibiting insurers from denying coverage because of an applicant’s medical history.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Inside the Trump administration's assault on protections for people with preexisting medical conditions," 11 June 2018
Eighty percent of respondents earned between $50,000 and $150,000.

— vivian wang, New York Times, "Will Tax Changes Drive New Yorkers to the Polls? Probably Not," 10 June 2018
Ninety-four percent of respondents said pre-K helped people live a healthy and productive life.

— thomas fitzgerald, Philly.com, "Pa. voters willing to pay more taxes for more pre-K, poll finds," 7 June 2018
The Kentucky Republican receives a favorable rating from just 27% of respondents while 45% view him unfavorably.

— james freeman, WSJ, "The Politics of Tax Cuts," 7 June 2018
Horwath, 55, a former legal-aid counselor, is well liked -- just 20 percent of respondents have a negative view of her, versus 48 percent for Ford and 56 percent for the Liberal’s Kathleen Wynne.

— josh wingrove, Bloomberg.com, "Favored in Ontario’s Election: A Trump-Like Populist Dangling Tax Cuts," 7 June 2018
Symantec, the company that makes the Norton Security suite of antivirus products, released a report in 2017 that showed that 87 percent of respondents had at some point potentially put information at risk while using public Wi-Fi.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Keep Your Data Safe While Traveling," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'respondent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of respondent

Latin respondent-, respondens, present participle of respondēre

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

respondent

adjective

Definition of respondent

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 3

Recent Examples of respondent from the Web

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, "Why do Tunisians keep protesting?," 19 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of respondent

1726

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

RESPONDENT Defined for English Language Learners

respondent

noun

Definition of respondent for English Language Learners

: a person who gives a response or answer to a question that is asked especially as part of a survey

Medical Dictionary

respondent

noun re·spon·dent \ ri-ˈspän-dənt \

medical Definition of respondent

: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus

the knee jerk is a typical respondent

respondent

adjective

medical Definition of respondent

: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward

respondent conditioning

— compare operant

Law Dictionary

respondent

noun re·spon·dent \ ri-ˈspän-dənt \

legal Definition of respondent

: 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

Learn More about respondent

See words that rhyme with respondent Nglish: Translation of respondent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of respondent for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up respondent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

respondent

Definition of respondent

Examples of respondent in a Sentence

Recent Examples of respondent from the Web

Origin and Etymology of respondent

Other Legal Terms

respondent

Definition of respondent

Recent Examples of respondent from the Web

First Known Use of respondent

RESPONDENT Defined for English Language Learners

respondent

Definition of respondent for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

respondent

medical Definition of respondent

respondent

medical Definition of respondent

Law Dictionary

respondent

legal Definition of respondent

Learn More about respondent

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Than': What Follows It and Why

Trending: DOJ Describes Comey as 'Insubordinate'

Name More Food!

9 Words for Transnational Currencies

Ghost Word