respond to sth/sb
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to say or do something as an answer to a person or a situation.
phrasal verb. to reply to a communication or react to a stimulus; functions as an intransitive verb followed by a prepositional object.
I need to respond to his email today.
The emergency services respond to thousands of calls every single day.
The market failed to respond to the central bank's intervention, leading to further currency devaluation throughout the afternoon.
always requires the preposition 'to' before the person or thing being answered.
contrast with 'answer', which is a transitive verb and does not take 'to'; learners often confuse the two by saying 'respond him'.
Please respond me as soon as possible.Please respond to me as soon as possible.unlike the verb 'answer', 'respond' must be followed by the preposition 'to' before the object.
Last updated April 24, 2026