What does "response" mean?

1. (an answer) a spoken or written answer to a question, letter, or email. 2. (a reaction) a reaction to something that happens or a feeling caused by something. 3. (religious service) a short sentence or phrase said by the people in a church service after the priest speaks.

How do you use "response"?

Commonly followed by the preposition 'to'. Often used with adjectives like 'positive', 'negative', 'immediate', or 'emotional'.

response — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I am waiting for a response of my email."?

No — say "I am waiting for a response to my email.". Use the preposition 'to' after response when identifying what is being answered.

Word

01an answer

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a spoken or written answer to a question, letter, or email.

n. a verbal or written reply to a communication or query.

“I sent her an email yesterday but I haven't received a response yet.”

“The department head provided a detailed response to the proposal, addressing each of the budgetary concerns raised during the meeting.”

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'to'.

Pitfall

I am waiting for a response of my email.

I am waiting for a response to my email.

Use the preposition 'to' after response when identifying what is being answered.

Synonyms

answer reply feedback

Antonyms

question query

02a reaction

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a reaction to something that happens or a feeling caused by something.

n. a physiological, emotional, or behavioral reaction to a specific stimulus or event.

“The crowd's response to the goal was a loud cheer.”

“The body's immune response can sometimes be triggered by harmless substances, leading to what we commonly call an allergy.”

Usage

Often used with adjectives like 'positive', 'negative', 'immediate', or 'emotional'.

Synonyms

reaction retort feedback

03religious service

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Religion Formal

n. a short sentence or phrase said by the people in a church service after the priest speaks.

n. a liturgical answer or phrase spoken or sung by a congregation in reply to a celebrant.

“The congregation spoke the traditional response after the opening prayer.”

“The choir performed a complex polyphonic response that echoed through the cathedral during the evening service.”

Teaching tip

This is a specialized sense used almost exclusively in the context of formal religious liturgy.

Synonyms

refrainresponsory

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “response” in context.

01. response of up to words 02. response to a new 03. adaptive response 04. appropriate response 05. elicit response 06. emotional response 07. far response 08. response teams 09. response to follow-up 10. responses become 11. responses from local 12. responses to questions

From Middle English respounse, respons, from Old French respons, respuns, responce, ultimately from the Latin respōnsum, a nominal use of the neuter form of respōnsus, the perfect passive participle of respondeō, from re (“again”) + spondeō (“promise”). Doublet of responsum.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

NOUN

response(A2)

ADJECTIVE