response

noun

re·​sponse ri-ˈspän(t)s 

1

: an act of responding

When you knocked on the door, was there any response?

2

: something constituting a reply or a reaction: such as

a

: a written or spoken answer

They got a response to their letter.

I am writing in response to your letter of July 8.

She questioned him but he made/gave no response.

b

: something done as a reaction

Her response to their decision was to quit.

c

: a verse, phrase, or word sung or said by the people or choir after or in reply to the officiant in a liturgical service

d

: the activity or inhibition of previous activity of an organism or any of its parts resulting from stimulation

e

: the output of a transducer or detecting device resulting from a given input

Synonyms of response

• reaction
• answer

Choose the Right Synonym for response

answer, response, reply, rejoinder, retort mean something spoken, written, or done in return.

answer implies the satisfying of a question, demand, call, or need.

had answers to all their questions

response may imply a quick or spontaneous reaction to a person or thing that serves as a stimulus.

a response to the call for recruits

reply often suggests a thorough response to all issues, points, or questions raised.

a point-by-point reply to the accusation

rejoinder can be a response to a reply or to an objection.

a salesman with a quick rejoinder to every argument

retort implies a reaction to an implicit or explicit charge, criticism, or attack which contains a countercharge or counterattack.

she made a cutting retort to her critics

Examples of response in a Sentence

He got a response to his letter.

I am writing in response to your letter of July 17.

When I told him my plan, I wasn't expecting such an enthusiastic response.

Her response to their decision was to threaten to quit her job.

When you knocked on the door, was there any response?

Recent Examples on the Web

District officials said the move comes in response to a 20% decline in enrollment since 2017 — a loss of about 6,000 students. —Da Lin, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026

My response has, in the years since, become a running joke in my family. —Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026

The crowd booed in response and cheered when Bannon mentioned Paxton. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026

More recently, the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements spread across the globe, as did the art that was created in response to each. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English & Latin; Middle English respounce, from Anglo-French respuns, respounce, from Latin responsum reply, from neuter of responsus, past participle of respondēre

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing response

• autonomous sensory meridian response
• auto-response
• call-and-response
• counter-response
• direct-response
• frequency response
• galvanic skin response
• give/make no response
• immune response

Rhymes for response

• naissance
• bons
• hans
• launce
• nonce
• sconce
• esperance
• nonchalance
• nonresponse
• renaissance

Kids Definition

response

noun

re·​sponse ri-ˈspän(t)s 

1

: an act or instance of replying : answer

2

: words said or sung by the people or choir in a religious service

3

: a reaction of a living thing to a stimulus

Medical Definition

response

noun

re·​sponse ri-ˈspän(t)s 

: the activity or inhibition of previous activity of an organism or any of its parts resulting from stimulation

a conditioned response