respondent

noun re·spon·dent \ ri-ˈspän-dənt \

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

A Bloomberg poll taken in July found that just 34 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Ryan compared to 41 percent for Trump.

— russell berman, The Atlantic, "Paul Ryan Doesn't Want to Fight With Trump," 22 Aug. 2017
That meeting was canceled, however, after the selection committee found Ryan Cos. to be the only qualified respondent, Schatz said.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville council could approve 5th Avenue developer Tuesday," 12 Aug. 2017
An online survey of city residents showed 58 percent of the 1,148 respondents would like a zip line in the adventure park.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Big ideas' for Carlsbad parks could go on hold," 8 Aug. 2017
A Cap Gemini survey of consumers in the U.S., China, and Germany ten years ago showed that only 18 percent of respondents would be likely to buy a car online.

— for bill collins ford, The Courier-Journal, "Online car buying," 20 July 2017
The controversial study, published in 2014, relied on just 339 respondents.

— The Economist, "The voter-fraud commission relies on some really dodgy studies," 20 July 2017
In addition, the choice in the poll question is between being a check on the president and voting for the party that supports the president's agenda, and poll respondents are often drawn toward more middle-ground, moderate positions.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "This poll should be a warning sign for Democrats," 19 July 2017
At the same time, Trump's overall approval rating is floundering with 36 percent of the overall respondents in that same poll approving of the president's job performance.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Luther Strange links hardcore Trump critic to Mo Brooks, but will it work in Alabama?," 17 July 2017
A survey conducted as part of that report listed shelter restrictions, safety concerns and other reasons homeless respondents said they were prevented from staying in a shelter.

— james dehaven, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tally of sheltered homeless falls amid more shelter beds," 1 July 2017

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

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

First Known Use of respondent

1726

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

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respondent

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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

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

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