answer

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Telephone, telegraph

an·swer1 /ˈɑːnsə $ ˈænsər/ ●●● S1 W1 noun  1  reply 答复REPLY [countable, uncountable]ANSWER/REPLY something you say when you reply to a question that someone has asked you 回答，答复 SYN response You don’t have to give them an answer now. 你不必现在就给他们答复。 Every time I ask him about it, I get a different answer. 我每次问他此这件事，都得到不同的回答。answer to These are important questions, and we want answers to them. 这些问题很重要，我们希望得到答案。 She’s still waiting for an answer from the school. 她还在等校方的答复。 The honest answer was that I didn’t know. 坦白回答，我不知道。 He was never able to get a straight answer about why it happened. 事情为什么会发生，他一直没有得到直接的回答。 It’s impossible for me to give you a definite answer at this time. 现在我无法给你明确答复。 The short answer is that it can’t be done. 简单的回答就是做不了。 In answer to your question, yes, you can go. 我来回答你的问题，是的，你可以去。 If it’s money you want, the answer is no! 如果你要的是钱，回答是不行！2  test/competition etc 测验/比赛等 [countable]ANSWER/RESULTTEST/COMPETITION ETC something that you write or say in reply to a question in a test or competition 答案answer to What was the answer to question 4? 第四题的答案是什么？the right/wrong/correct/incorrect answer Score two points for each correct answer. 答对一题得两分。3  invitation/letter etc 请柬/信等 [countable]ANSWER/REPLYINVITATION/LETTER ETC a written reply to a letter, invitation, advertisement etc 〔信、请柬、广告等的〕回函answer to Did you ever get an answer to your letter? 你有没有收到过回信？4  problem 问题DEAL WITHPROBLEM [countable] a way of dealing with a problem 解决办法 SYN solutionsimple/easy/obvious answer There is no simple answer. 没有简单的解决方法。answer to The police do not have an answer to rising crime. 警方没有办法解决犯罪率上升的问题。 Some people think cars should be banned from the city, but I don’t think that’s the answer. 有些人认为城市里应当禁止汽车通行，但我觉得这不是解决办法。be the answer to somebody’s problems/worries etc If he could get a job, it’d be the answer to all his worries. 如果他能找到一份工作，他所有的烦恼就能迎刃而解了。5  on the phone 通电话 [singular, uncountable usually in negative]TCT if you get an answer when you call someone on the phone, they pick up the phone and talk to you 〔电话的〕应答，接听 I tried calling him all day but couldn’t get an answer. 我试着给他打了一天电话，但没有人接听。6  at the door 在门口 [singular, uncountable usually in negative] if you get an answer when you knock on a door, someone opens it and talks to you 应门5I kept ringing the bell, but no one answered the door.我一直在按门铃，可就是没人应门。 I tried knocking on her door, but there was no answer. 我试着敲了敲她的门，但是没人应门。7  have/know all the answers informal to be very sure that you know everything about a situation, especially when you do not 〔自以为〕无所不知，通晓一切 He acts like he has all the answers. 他一副无所不知的样子。8  somebody’s answer to something writtenEQUAL someone or something that is considered to be just as good as a more famous person or thing 相当的人；不相上下的事物 The Space Needle is Seattle’s answer to the Eiffel Tower. 西雅图的太空针塔堪比艾菲尔铁塔。n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: something you say when you reply to a question that someone has asked youadjectivesan honest/straight answerThe honest answer is that I don’t know.a definite answer (=that says yes or no definitely)Can you give me a definite answer tomorrow?a satisfactory answerI didn’t get a satisfactory answer from the company.verbsgive somebody an answerI’ll give you an answer tomorrow.get/receive an answerShe wrote to him but she never got an answer.wait for an answerKate was looking at me, waiting for an answer.think of an answerShe couldn’t think of a suitable answer to his question.phrasesthe short answer is ... (=used when giving a simple, honest, or direct answer to a difficult question)‘How does homeopathy work?’ ‘The short answer to this question is that we do not know how homeopathic remedies work.’n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: something that you write or say in reply to a question in a test or competitionadjectivesthe right/wrong answerDo you know the right answer to this question?the correct/incorrect answerYou get 5 points for each correct answer.verbsknow the answerPut up your hand if you know the answer.guess the answerIf you don’t know the answer, try guessing it.write the answerDo we write the answers in the exercise book, Sir?n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: a written reply to a letter, invitation, advertisement etcadjectivesthe simple/easy answerThere are a lot of problems and no simple answers.the obvious answerThe obvious answer is to raise taxes, but that would be unpopular.the perfect answerI think I have the perfect answer to the problem.the complete answerA loan, however, is not the complete answer to the company’s problems.the long-term answerHe believes hydrogen is the long-term answer to our growing energy crisis.a short-term answerEmploying overseas nurses is only a short-term answer to the shortage. verbshave an answerDoctors are supposed to have all the answers.find an answerThe aim is to find a long-term answer to poverty.come up with an answer (=find a way of dealing with a problem)The government is struggling to come up with answers to our economic problems. THESAURUSanswer something you say when someone asks you a question or speaks to you 回答，答复nI asked if he wanted to come, but I didn’t get an answer.nIf you’re asking me for money, the answer’s no!reply an answer – used especially in written English to report what someone said 回答，答复〔尤用于书面英语中引述别人说的话〕nShe asked how he felt, and received the reply, ‘Awful!’n‘Finished now?’ ‘No, ' came the reply.nresponse an answer that clearly shows your reaction to a question, suggestion etcWagner’s responses showed that he had thought carefully about the issues.‘Sure. Why not?’ was his response to most of Billie’s suggestions.nretort written an angry answer given when someone has annoyed you or criticized youIsabelle began an angry retort and then stopped herself.ncomeback a quick answer that is clever, funny, or rudeHe walked out before I could think of a snappy comeback.nriposte formal a quick and clever answerAnna produced the perfect riposte.nrejoinder formal a quick answer, especially a clever or rude oneIf he confronts them, he’ll run the risk of a sharp rejoinder.

Examples from the Corpus

answer• Answers to the letters are as varied as the children who wrote them.• We chatted about Guantanamo, me with the long questions and he with the short, abrupt answers.• We've written to the bank requesting a loan, and we're expecting an answer in this morning's mail.• Did you ever get an answer to your last letter?• The braggart turns every question into an answer that makes himself or herself look incredibly good.• In search of an answer, you follow your nose, wherever it leads, actively pursuing the mystery.• Nor can the living coelacanth suggest an answer, for today it never leaves its deep waters.• There was a question and answer period after the lecture.• Score one point for each correct answer.• Each time I ask him when the work will be done, I get a different answer.• There are no easy answers to today's environmental problems.• I've asked Yvonne to come on vacation with us, but I'm still waiting for her answer.• What was her answer?• The obvious answer is to keep poisonous plants out of children's reach.• The city council has to find a better way of dealing with domestic waste. One answer is to burn it.• The first person to call with the right answer will win 10 CDs of their choice.• And the answer is... Budapest!• Why don't people complain? The answer is that they are frightened of losing their jobs.• Think carefully before you give the answer.• A bank loan seemed like the answer to all our problems.• If you're asking me for money, the answer's no!• What's the answer to question 4?• I must also emphasise that the answer I give to the question before me will be of general application.• The answer is certainly not to pay all academics more.• The answers they gave had to be corroborated by witnesses.• The answer to your question is very simple; you failed the exam because you didn't do any work.• Write your answers on the form and send it to this address.the answer is no• The answer is no, because some truth properties and truth relations hold regardless of reference, provided meaning is held constant.• The answer is no, no no.• I told you before, the answer is no!• In the case of short-term and occasional courses the answer is no.• If you are asking whether I feel the same about her, the answer is no.• If by the Church you mean the clergy and the laity, the answer is no.• For most people, the answer is no.• Surely, the answer is no.• Parents of these children have trouble ignoring these behaviors and in being consistently firm when the answer Is no.the right/wrong/correct/incorrect answer• No one has all the right answers but there is now a willingness to share information.• They had simply assumed that, because I had asked the question, one of those words must be the right answer.• Given the monochromatic melodrama of modern country music, versatility may not be the correct answer.• The quicker the player chooses the correct answer, the more points he or she gets.• I quickly found out that knowing the right answer was much easier than selling it.• A total of 71 percent of the full attainment range sample obtained the correct answer.• But it's the wrong answer.• The point is that nobody can be sure what the correct answer actually is.answer to• I never did get an answer to that final one.• An answer to that question might give clues to the broader question of the function of sleep.• A third consideration draws attention to the association between answers to the Ten Statements Test, and another set of factors.• The attendant was entirely honest in his answers to my questions and in the amount of fuel he pumped.• At first glance the answer to this question too seems to be in the negative.• Do you really want to hear the answers to all those questions?• The answer to that question depends in part on your business.• Send your answers to Link editor, , .be the answer to somebody’s problems/worries etc• MartinBanks A wireless network system throughout the home could be the answer to everyone's problems.• They knew a dehumidifier was the answer to their problems but did not have the funds to buy one.• Before taking any decision to relocate, organisations should consider carefully whether relocation is the answer to their problems.no answer• Primo had no answer for him.• There is no answer to this tension, no way to relieve it.• He made no answer, but continued to look out at the river under the moon.• Morris offers no answers, but the often skewed perspectives of his subjects point us down most intriguing paths.• He thumped his hand on it twice and, receiving no answer, used his keys and entered.• I called him but there was no answer and he hasn't phoned me back.• When I first arrived at the flat and knocked on the door there was no answer.• At once they began to scream their daily challenge; but this time, there was no answer.• There was no answer to the phone.answer2 ●●● S1 W2 verb  1  reply 答复 [intransitive, transitive]ANSWER/REPLY to say something to someone as a reply when they have asked you a question, made a suggestion etc 回答，答复 She thought for a moment before answering. 她想了一会儿才回答。 He still hadn’t answered my question. 他仍然没有回答我的问题。 ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ ‘I’d like to, ’ she answered, ‘but I have nowhere else to go.’ “你为什么不一走了之？”“我倒是想走，”她回答说，“但是我没有其他地方可去。”answer (that) When questioned, Hughes answered that he knew nothing about the robbery. 问到休斯时，他回答说对这宗抢劫案一无所知。 How much was it? Come on, answer me. 多少钱？ 快点告诉我吧。2  test 测验TEST [intransitive, transitive]ANSWER/RESULT to write or say the answer to a question in a test or competition 答（题） Answer as many questions as possible in the time provided. 在所给时间内尽量多答题。3. answer the phone/a call/the door TALK TO somebodyto pick up the telephone and speak when it rings or open the door when someone knocks or rings the bell 接电话/应门4  letter 信LETTER [transitive]ANSWER/REPLY if you answer a letter or advertisement, you write a letter to the person who has written it 答复〔信件或广告〕 Simon got the job by answering an advert in the paper. 西蒙通过应征报纸上的一则广告找到了工作。5  answer criticism/charges/accusations etc to explain why you did something when people are criticizing you – used in news reports 就批评/指控/谴责等作出回应〔用于新闻报道〕 How do you answer the criticism that your government has done nothing to help the homeless? 有人批评你的政府没有采取任何行动帮助无家可归者，你对此有何回应？6  react to STH 对某事作出反应DO something AS A REACTION [intransitive, transitive]REACT to do something as a reaction to criticism or an attack 〔对批评或攻击〕作出回应 SYN respond The army answered by firing into the crowd. 军队向人群开火还击。7  deal with a problem 处理问题DEAL WITH A PROBLEM [transitive]DEAL WITH to be a way of dealing with or solving a problem 解决〔问题〕 ‘You can borrow my car if you like.’ ‘Well, that answers one problem.’ “如果你愿意，可以借我的车。”“好啊，这下解决了一个问题。”8  answer a need PROVIDEto provide something that is needed 满足需求 Our transportation system is designed to answer the needs of the city’s commuters. 我们的交通系统是为满足本市乘车上下班者的需求而设计的。9  answer a description SAMEif someone answers a description, they match that description 与描述相符 A man answering the police’s description was seen entering the building. 有人看到一个和警方描述相符的男人进了这座楼。10 answer back phrasal verb ANSWER/REPLYto reply in a rude way to someone that you are supposed to obey 回嘴，顶嘴answer somebody back Don’t answer me back young man! 年轻人，别跟我顶嘴！11 answer for somebody/something phrasal verb a) to explain to people in authority why you did something wrong or why something happened, and be punished if necessary 对…负责 Their coach must answer for the team’s poor performance. 他们的教练必须为球队的不佳表现负责。b) RESPONSIBLE have a lot to answer for informal to be responsible for causing a lot of trouble 对〔许多问题〕负有责任c) CERTAINLY/DEFINITELY can’t answer for somebody spoken used to say that you cannot make a decision for someone who is not there, or give their opinion 无法代表某人 I’m sure John will help us – I can’t really answer for the others. 我确信约翰会帮我们，但别人我就说不准了。12 answer to somebody/something phrasal verb a) EXPLAINto give an explanation to someone, especially about something that you have done wrong 向…负责，对…作出解释〔尤指错事〕 Phipps answers to me and me alone. 菲普斯只向我一个人负责。b) answer to the name of something to be called a particular name – used humorously 名叫，叫做〔幽默用法〕 a well-dressed young woman answering to the name of Suzanne 一个穿着讲究的年轻女子，芳名苏珊 THESAURUSanswer to say something to someone when they have asked you a question or spoken to you 回答，答复You don’t have to answer the question if you don’t want to. 你要是不想回答这个问题就用不着回答。I said hello to her, but she didn’t answer. 我跟她打招呼，可是她不搭理。reply to answer someone – used especially in written English to report what someone said 回答，答复〔尤用于书面英语中引述别人说的话〕‘I’m so sorry, ’ he replied. “非常抱歉。”他答道。We asked Jane to help, but she replied that she was too busy. 我们请简帮忙，可她回答说她太忙。respond formal to answer someone 回答，答复How do you respond to the allegation that you deliberately deceived your employers? 有人指控你故意欺骗雇主，对此你如何回应？　give somebody an answer to answer someone by telling them what you have decided or giving them a piece of information they asked for 答复某人He asked me to marry him, but I didn’t give him an answer straight away. 他向我求婚，但是我没有马上答复他。get back to somebody to answer someone at a later time especially by telephoning them, usually because you need to think about their question or find out more information 稍后（打电话）答复某人She’s promised to get back to me as soon as she hears any more news from the hospital. 她答应一有来自医院方面的更多消息就会马上打电话告诉我。retort written to answer someone angrily, especially because they have annoyed you or criticized you 反驳‘You’re not afraid?’ Brenda asked. ‘Of course not, ’ he retorted angrily. “你不怕？”布伦达问道。“当然不怕。”他气愤地反驳。 n GRAMMAR: Comparisonanswer• You answer someone: Why won’t you answer me? ✗Don’t say answer to someone in this meaning.• You answer someone’s question: You still have not answered my question.• You can use answer with speech marks (‘...’) when quoting someone’s exact words: ‘I’m fine, thank you, ’ she answered. • You can use answer that to report what someone says. After answered, the verb in the other clause is usually also in the past tense: She answered that she was fine.reply• You reply to someone’s question: You still have not replied to my question.• You can use reply with speech marks (‘...’) when quoting someone’s exact words: ‘I’m fine, thank you, ’ she replied. • You can use reply that to report what someone says. After replied, the verb in the other clause is usually also in the past tense: She replied that she was fine.→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

answer• That prayer may already be answered.• I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered.• I said hello to her, but she didn't answer.• Julie thought for a long time before answering.• As the editor in chief of such a magazine, I am obliged to answer a lot of questions about men.• It is a long interview because he is constitutionally incapable of answering a question without at least three long digressions.• Only one person answered all the questions correctly.• You have 20 minutes to answer all the questions.• I got the job by answering an advertisement in the paper.• Whitmore never answered any of my letters.• "Why don't you just leave?" "I'd like to, " she answered, "but I have nowhere else to go."• Employing one or several people to answer calls, so that they are screened for their relevance.• If you answer correctly, you could win a video camera.• The waiters are happy to answer customers' questions.• I think the present Government has a lot to answer for.• Miss Millar hired a secretary to answer her mail while she was on vacation.• How much did you spend? Come on, answer me!• She still isn't answering my calls.• A few other players checked their watches, eager to stop fielding questions that only the Games can really answer now.• She refused to answer questions from reporters later as she left.• When questioned about the robbery, Hughes answered that he knew nothing about it.• Think carefully before answering that memo.• Be careful how you answer that one.• No one in the city government satisfactorily answered that question.• A strange man answered the door.• You don't have to answer the question if you don't want to.• Officials have made every effort to answer trade concerns.answer (that)• But there were questions that found no satisfactory answers.• The question hardly merits an answer.• And Bob Dole, he's trying to get him to answer and this Clinton he just keeps on smiling.• He had no answer and wished she would concentrate on the problems at hand.• There is a tidal wave of youth crime, and the Government have not begun to answer it.• He answered that safety was the manager's responsibility.• The questions were asked of all male nisei by the war department; answering them was voluntary.• My answer to this point will be more philosophical than empirical.Origin answer1 Old English andswaru

an·swer1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1 →n COLLOCATIONS2
→n COLLOCATIONS3 →THESAURUS1answer2 verb →n GRAMMAR1 →THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

when say you reply Corpus something you

answer

I

an‧swer¹ S1 W1 /ˈɑːnsə $ ˈænsər/ noun1.  REPLY  [uncountable and countable] something you say when you reply to a question that someone has asked you
   SYN  response:
    You don’t have to give them an answer now.
    Every time I ask him about it, I get a different answer.
    answer to
    These are important questions, and we want answers to them.
    She’s still waiting for an answer from the school.
    The honest answer was that I didn’t know.
    He was never able to get a straight answer about why it happened.
    It’s impossible for me to give you a definite answer at this time.
    The short answer is that it can’t be done.
    In answer to your question, yes, you can go.
    If it’s money you want, the answer is no__
2.  TEST/COMPETITION ETC  [countable] something that you write or say in reply to a question in a test or competition
    answer to
    What was the answer to question 4?
    the right/wrong/correct/incorrect answer
    Score two points for each correct answer.
3.  INVITATION/LETTER ETC  [countable] a written reply to a letter, invitation, advertisement etc
    answer to
    Did you ever get an answer to your letter?
4.  PROBLEM  [countable] a way of dealing with a problem
   SYN  solution
    simple/easy/obvious answer
    There is no simple answer.
    answer to
    The police do not have an answer to rising crime.
    Some people think cars should be banned from the city, but I don’t think that’s the answer.
    be the answer to sb’s problems/worries etc
    If he could get a job it’d be the answer to all his worries.
5.  ON THE PHONE  [singular, uncountable usually in negative] if you get an answer when you call someone on the phone, they pick up the phone and talk to you:
    I tried calling him all day but couldn’t get an answer.
6.  AT THE DOOR  [singular, uncountable usually in negative] if you get an answer when you knock on a door, someone opens it and talks to you:
    I tried knocking on her door, but there was no answer.
7. have/know all the answers informal to be very sure that you know everything about a situation, especially when you do not:
    He acts like he has all the answers.
8. sb’s answer to something written someone or something that is considered to be just as good as a more famous person or thing:
    The Space Needle is Seattle’s answer to the Eiffel Tower.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ adjectives
   ▪ an honest/straight answer The honest answer is that I don’t know.
   ▪ a definite answer (=that says yes or no definitely) Can you give me a definite answer tomorrow?
   ▪ a satisfactory answer I didn’t get a satisfactory answer from the company.
■ verbs
   ▪ give somebody an answer I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.
   ▪ get/receive an answer She wrote to him but she never got an answer.
   ▪ wait for an answer Kate was looking at me, waiting for an answer.
   ▪ think of an answer She couldn’t think of a suitable answer to his question.
■ phrases
   ▪ the short answer is ... (=used when giving a simple, honest, or direct answer to a difficult question) ‘How does homeopathy work?’ ‘The short answer to this question is that we do not know how homeopathic remedies work.’
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives
   ▪ the right/wrong answer Do you know the right answer to this question?
   ▪ the correct/incorrect answer You get 5 points for each correct answer.
■ verbs
   ▪ know the answer Put up your hand if you know the answer.
   ▪ guess the answer If you don’t know the answer, try guessing it.
   ▪ write the answer Do we write the answers in the exercise book, Sir?
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 3)

■ adjectives
   ▪ the simple/easy answer There are a lot of problems and no simple answers.
   ▪ the obvious answer The obvious answer is to raise taxes, but that would be unpopular.
   ▪ the perfect answer I think I have the perfect answer to the problem.
   ▪ the complete answer A loan, however, is not the complete answer to the company’s problems.
   ▪ the long-term answer He believes hydrogen is the long-term answer to our growing energy crisis.
   ▪ a short-term answer Employing overseas nurses is only a short-term answer to the shortage.
■ verbs
   ▪ have an answer Doctors are supposed to have all the answers.
   ▪ find an answer The aim is to find a long-term answer to poverty.
   ▪ come up with an answer (=find a way of dealing with a problem) The government is struggling to come up with answers to our economic problems.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ answer something you say when someone asks you a question or speaks to you: I asked if he wanted to come, but I didn’t get an answer. | If you’re asking me for money, the answer’s no__
   ▪ reply an answer. Used especially in written English to report what someone said: She asked how he felt, and received the reply, ‘Awful__’ | ‘Finished now?’ ‘No,' came the reply.
   ▪ response an answer that clearly shows your reaction to a question, suggestion etc: Wagner’s responses showed that he had thought carefully about the issues. | ‘Sure. Why not?’ was his response to most of Billie’s suggestions.
   ▪ retort written an angry answer given when someone has annoyed you or criticized you: Isabelle began an angry retort and then stopped herself.
   ▪ comeback a quick answer that is clever, funny, or rude: He walked out before I could think of a snappy comeback.
   ▪ riposte formal a quick and clever answer: Anna produced the perfect riposte.
   ▪ rejoinder formal a quick answer, especially a clever or rude one: If he confronts them, he’ll run the risk of a sharp rejoinder.

II

answer² S1 W2 verb
1.  REPLY  [intransitive and transitive] to say something to someone as a reply when they have asked you a question, made a suggestion etc:
    She thought for a moment before answering.
    He still hadn’t answered my question.
    ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ ‘I’d like to,’ she answered, ‘but I have nowhere else to go.’
    answer (that)
    When questioned, Hughes answered that he knew nothing about the robbery.
    How much was it? Come on, answer me.
2.  TEST  [intransitive and transitive] to write or say the answer to a question in a test or competition:
    Answer as many questions as possible in the time provided.
3. answer the phone/a call/the door to pick up the telephone and speak when it rings or open the door when someone knocks or rings the bell
4.  LETTER  [transitive] if you answer a letter or advertisement, you write a letter to the person who has written it:
    Simon got the job by answering an advert in the paper.
5. answer criticism/charges/accusations etc to explain why you did something when people are criticizing you – used in news reports:
    How do you answer the criticism that your government has done nothing to help the homeless?
6.  REACT TO SOMETHING  [intransitive and transitive] to do something as a reaction to criticism or an attack
   SYN  respond:
    The army answered by firing into the crowd.
7.  DEAL WITH A PROBLEM  [transitive] to be a way of dealing with or solving a problem:
    ‘You can borrow my car if you like.’ ‘Well, that answers one problem.’
8. answer a need to provide something that is needed:
    Our transportation system is designed to answer the needs of the city’s commuters.
9. answer a description if someone answers a description, they match that description:
    A man answering the police’s description was seen entering the building.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ answer to say something to someone when they have asked you a question or spoken to you: You don’t have to answer the question if you don’t want to. | I said hello to her, but she didn’t answer.
   ▪ reply to answer someone. Used especially in written English to report what someone said: ‘I’m so sorry,’ he replied. | We asked Jane to help, but she replied that she was too busy.
   ▪ respond formal to answer someone: How do you respond to the allegation that you deliberately deceived your employers?
   ▪ give somebody an answer to answer someone by telling them what you have decided or giving them a piece of information they asked for: He asked me to marry him, but I didn’t give him an answer straight away.
   ▪ get back to somebody to answer someone at a later time especially by telephoning them, usually because you need to think about their question or find out more information: She’s promised to get back to me as soon as she hears any more news from the hospital.
   ▪ retort written to answer someone angrily, especially because they have annoyed you or criticized you: ‘You’re not afraid?’ Brenda asked. ‘Of course not,’ he retorted angrily.
     
answer back phrasal verb
  to reply in a rude way to someone that you are supposed to obey
    answer somebody back
    Don’t answer me back young man__
answer for somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to explain to people in authority why you did something wrong or why something happened, and be punished if necessary:
    Their coach must answer for the team’s poor performance.
  2. have a lot to answer for informal to be responsible for causing a lot of trouble
  3. can’t answer for somebody spoken used to say that you cannot make a decision for someone who is not there, or give their opinion:
    I’m sure John will help us – I can’t really answer for the others.
answer to somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to give an explanation to someone, especially about something that you have done wrong:
    Phipps answers to me and me alone.
  2. answer to the name of something to be called a particular name – used humorously:
    a well-dressed young woman answering to the name of Suzanne