reply

English

Etymology

From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“to fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈplaɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: re‧ply
• Rhymes: -aɪ

Verb

reply (third-person singular simple present replies, present participle replying, simple past and past participle replied)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.

   (intransitive) Please reply to my letter.

   (transitive) "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.

   (transitive) He replied that he was not sure.

2. (intransitive) To act or gesture in response.

   Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face.

   • 1988, Emmanuel Doe Ziorklui, Ghana: Nkrumah to Rawlings:

     It is a sound to be dreaded until you ascertain that it is being made by friendly forces; even then, your welcome to it must be tempered with some caution, because gunfire usually leads to replying gunfire […]

   • 2012, Steve Cowens, Steel City Rivals:

     […] bulged the onion bag for the Blades, and Downes and Prendergast replied for the Owls.

3. (intransitive) To repeat something back; to echo.

Synonyms

• respond, answer, retort, answer back, react, rejoin, counter, return, revert, follow up, get back to

Derived terms

• autoreply
• counterreply
• misreply
• nonreplying
• replyer
• replyingly
• unrepliable
• unreplied
• unreplying

Translations

to give a written or spoken response

• Arabic: أَجَابَ (ʔajāba), رَدَّ (ar) (radda)

  Egyptian Arabic: رد (radd)

• Armenian: պատասխանել (hy) (patasxanel)
• Azerbaijani: cavab vermək, cavablandırmaq (transitive)
• Bangi: yanola
• Bengali: জবাব দেওয়া (jobab deōẇa), উত্তর দেওয়া (uttor deōẇa)
• Bulgarian: отгова́рям (bg) (otgovárjam)
• Catalan: respondre (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎦᏬᎯᎵᏴᎠ (gawohiliyva)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 回答 (zh) (huídá), 答應 / 答应 (zh) (dāying), 答覆 (zh) (dáfù)

• Czech: odpovědět (cs), (in letter) odepsat
• Danish: svare (da), besvare
• Dutch: antwoorden (nl), beantwoorden (nl)
• Esperanto: respondi (eo)
• Finnish: vastata (fi)
• French: répondre (fr)
• Friulian: rispuindi
• Georgian: პასუხობს (ṗasuxobs)
• German: antworten (de), erwidern (de)
• Greek: απαντώ (el) (apantó)

  Ancient Greek: ἀποκρίνομαι (apokrínomai)

• Hindi: जवाब (hi) (javāb), जवाब देना (javāb denā), उत्तर देना (uttar denā)
• Hungarian: felel (hu), válaszol (hu)
• Indonesian: jawab (id)
• Ingrian: vassata
• Irish: freagair
• Italian: rispondere (it), replicare (it)
• Japanese: 返事する (ja) (へんじする, henji-suru), 返信する (ja) (へんしんする, henshin-suru), (answer) 答える (ja) (こたえる, kotaeru)
• Khmer: ឆ្លើយ (km) (claəy), តប (km) (tɑɑp)
• Korean: 대답하다 (ko) (daedaphada)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وەڵام دان (wellam dan)

• Ladin: respuender
• Latin: respondeō, resequor
• Lingala: yanola
• Macedonian: одговара (odgovara)
• Malayalam: മറുപടി നൽകുക (maṟupaṭi nalkuka), പ്രതികരിക്കുക (ml) (pratikarikkuka)
• Manx: freggyr
• Māori: urupare
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: thòshī

• Norman: rêpondre
• Norwegian: svare (no)
• Persian: جواب دادن (fa) (javâb dâdan), پاسخانیدن (pâsoxânidan)
• Plautdietsch: auntwuate
• Polish: odpowiadać (pl) impf, odpowiedzieć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: responder (pt)
• Romanian: răspunde (ro)
• Russian: отвеча́ть (ru) impf (otvečátʹ), отве́тить (ru) pf (otvétitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: freagair
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: odgovoriti (sh)

• Somali: jawaabid
• Spanish: responder (es), contestar (es)
• Swedish: svara (sv), besvara (sv)
• Tamil: பதில் சொல் (patil col)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tok Pisin: bekim tok
• Ukrainian: розповіда́ти (uk) impf (rozpovidáty), розпові́сти (uk) pf (rozpovísty)
• Urdu: جواب دینا (javāb denā)
• Vietnamese: trả lời (vi), hồi đáp, hồi âm (vi)
• Welsh: ateb (cy)
• Zazaki: cewab

to act or gesture in response

• Bulgarian: отвръщам (bg) (otvrǎštam)
• Danish: svare (da), genmæle
• Dutch: beantwoorden (nl)
• Finnish: vastata (fi)
• Ingrian: vassata
• Japanese: 返事する (ja) (へんじする, henji-suru)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وەڵام دان (wellam dan)

• Macedonian: одговара (odgovara)
• Malayalam: മറുപടി നൽകുക (maṟupaṭi nalkuka)
• Portuguese: responder (pt)
• Russian: отвеча́ть (ru) impf (otvečátʹ), отве́тить (ru) pf (otvétitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: freagair
• Spanish: responder (es), contestar (es)

to repeat something back

• Finnish: palauttaa (fi)
• Italian: ripetere (it)
• Japanese: 返事する (ja) (へんじする, henji-suru)
• Malayalam: മറുപടി നൽകുക (maṟupaṭi nalkuka)
• Portuguese: repetir (pt)
• Spanish: repetir (es)
• Tok Pisin: bekim tok

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} antwoorden (nl)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 대답하다 (ko) (daedaphada)
• Old English: ^{(please verify)} oncweþan
• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} toombuk-tû

Noun

reply (plural replies)

1. A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
   • 1986, Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic, published 2022, page 12:

     For example, it is said that someone at a party once asked the famous philosopher Ly Tin Weedle ‘Why are you here?’ And the reply took three years.

2. Something given in reply.
3. A counterattack.
4. (music) The answer of a figure.
5. (US, law) A document written by a party specifically replying to a responsive declaration and in some cases an answer.

Synonyms

• answer, comeback, response, retort, return, account, rejoinder, riposte, reaction

Derived terms

• autoreply
• counterreply
• misreply
• nonreply

Translations

written or spoken response

• Albanian: përgjigje (sq) f
• Arabic: إِجَابَة f (ʔijāba), جَوَاب m (jawāb), رَدّ (ar) m (radd)
• Armenian: պատասխան (hy) (patasxan)
• Asturian: rempuesta, rimpuesta, resposta, respuesta
• Azerbaijani: cavab (az)
• Bangi: eyano
• Bashkir: яуап (yawap)
• Belarusian: адка́з m (adkáz)
• Bengali: জবাব (bn) (jobab), উত্তর (bn) (uttor)
• Bulgarian: о́тговор (bg) m (ótgovor)
• Catalan: resposta (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 回答 (wui⁴ daap³)

  Mandarin: 回答 (zh) (huídá)

• Czech: odpověď (cs) f
• Danish: svar (da) n, besvarelse c
• Dutch: antwoord (nl) n, respons (nl) f or n
• Erzya: каршо вал (karšo val)
• Estonian: vastus
• Finnish: vastaus (fi)
• French: réponse (fr) f

  Old French: response f

• Georgian: პასუხი (ṗasuxi)
• German: Antwort (de) f, Entgegnung (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌷𐌰𐍆𐍄𐍃 f (andahafts)
• Greek: απάντηση (el) f (apántisi)

  Ancient Greek: ὑπόκρισις f (hupókrisis)

• Hebrew: תְּשׁוּבָה (he) f (t'shuvá), תְּגוּבָה (he) f (t’goovah / tehgoovah)
• Hindi: जवाब (hi) m (javāb), उत्तर (hi) m (uttar)
• Hungarian: válasz (hu), felelet (hu)
• Ingrian: vassus
• Irish: freagairt f
• Italian: risposta (it) f, replica (it) f
• Japanese: 返事 (ja) (へんじ, henji), 返答 (ja) (へんとう, hentō), 答え (ja) (こたえ, kotae), (written) 返信 (ja) (へんしん, henshin), 回答 (ja) (かいとう, kaitō), リプライ (ja) (ripurai), リプ (ja) (ripu), レス (ja) (resu) (Internet)
• Kazakh: жауап (jauap)
• Khmer: ពាក្យឆ្លើយ (piək chlaəy)
• Korean: 대답(對答) (ko) (daedap), 답변(答辯) (ko) (dapbyeon), 회답(回答) (hoedap), 리플 (ko) (ripeul), 댓글 (ko) (daetgeul) (Internet)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وەڵام (wellam)

• Kyrgyz: жооп (ky) (joop)
• Latin: responsum n
• Latvian: atbilde f
• Lingala: eyano
• Lithuanian: atsakymas (lt) m
• Macedonian: одговор (mk) m (odgovor)
• Malayalam: മറുപടി (ml) (maṟupaṭi), പ്രതികരണം (ml) (pratikaraṇaṁ)
• Manx: freggyrt m
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: вашмут (vašmut)

• Norman: rêponse f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: svar (no) n

  Nynorsk: svar n

• Old English: ġeġncwide m
• Pashto: ځواب (ps) m (źwāb)
• Persian:

  Dari: جَوَاب (jawāb), پَاسُخ (pāsux)

  Iranian Persian: جَواب (javâb), پاسُخ (pâsox)

• Plautdietsch: Auntwuat (nds) f
• Polish: odpowiedź (pl) f
• Portuguese: resposta (pt) f
• Romanian: răspuns (ro) n
• Russian: отве́т (ru) m (otvét)
• Scottish Gaelic: freagairt f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̏дгово̄р m

  Latin: ȍdgovōr (sh) m

• Slovak: odpoveď f
• Slovene: odgovor (sl) m
• Spanish: respuesta (es) f, responsión (es) f, contestación (es) f
• Swedish: svar (sv) n
• Tagalog: sagot, buwelta
• Tajik: жавоб (žavob), посух (posux)
• Tatar: җавап (tt) (cawap)
• Thai: คำตอบ (th) (kam-dtɔ̀ɔp)
• Turkish: yanıt (tr), cevap (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: جواب (cevab), اجابت (icabet)

• Turkmen: jogap (tk)
• Ukrainian: ві́дповідь (uk) f (vídpovidʹ)
• Urdu: جَواب m (javāb)
• Uyghur: جاۋاب (jawab)
• Uzbek: javob (uz)
• Vietnamese: trả lời (vi)
• Welsh: ateb (cy) m
• Zazaki: cewab

something given in reply

• Armenian: պատասխան (hy) (patasxan)
• Danish: svar (da) n
• Finnish: vastaus (fi)
• French: réponse (fr) f
• German: Antwort (de)
• Ingrian: vassus
• Japanese: お返し (おかえし, okaeshi)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وەڵام (wellam)

• Macedonian: одговор (mk) m (odgovor)
• Malayalam: മറുപടി (ml) (maṟupaṭi)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: вашмут (vašmut)

• Portuguese: resposta (pt) f
• Russian: отве́т (ru) m (otvét)
• Spanish: respuesta (es) f, responsión (es) f, contestación (es) f

Derived terms

• auto-reply
• business reply
• international reply coupon
• refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram
• replyallpocalypse
• reply all storm
• reply device
• reply girl
• reply guy
• reply-ping
• reply vehicle
• timestamp reply

Anagrams

• lepry, plyer