answer back

verb

To reply impertinently to (someone); to talk back.

“She answered him back rudely.”

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Meanings

verbanswer back (third-person singular simple present answers back, present participle answering back, simple past and past participle answered back)

present singular third person answers back · participle present answering back · participle past answered back · past answered back

  1. ambitransitiveTo reply impertinently to (someone); to talk back.

    She answered him back rudely.

    2 more examples

    I'll thank you not to answer back like that! Where are your manners?

    This further enraged the mother-in-law who reprimanded the girl for answering back to elders.

    1990, K. D. Gangrade, Rameshwar Prasad Misra, Conflict Resolution Through Non-violence: Development without destruction, Concept Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 244
  2. To reply to a question from (someone) at a later time.

    Please answer me back before the end of the week.

  3. hobbiesTo match an opponent’s recent scoring effort.
  4. computingTo issue echo characters, protocol responses, reflexive connection requests, etc.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
backchatreplyrespondtalk back

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 駁嘴 /驳嘴
  • 駁嘴 /驳嘴 (bok³ zeoi²)to reply impertinently; to talk back
Chinese Mandarin 頂嘴 /顶嘴
  • 頂嘴 /顶嘴 (dǐngzuǐ)to reply impertinently; to talk back
Czech odmlouvat
  • odmlouvatto reply impertinently; to talk back
French répondre
  • répondreto reply impertinently; to talk back
Italian ribattere
  • ribattereto reply impertinently; to talk back
Māori whakatoi, whakatoitoi
  • whakatoito reply impertinently; to talk back
  • whakatoitoito reply impertinently; to talk back
Polish pyskować, odpyskiwać
  • pyskowaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • odpyskiwaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • odpyskowywaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • odpyskowaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • odszczekiwaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • odszczekaćto reply impertinently; to talk back
Portuguese responder
  • responderto reply impertinently; to talk back
Turkish karşılık vermek, (yanıt) geri dönmek
  • karşılık vermekto reply impertinently; to talk back
  • (yanıt) geri dönmekto reply impertinently; to talk back
Cite this entry
APA

answer back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20back

MLA

“answer back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20back. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “answer back,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20back.

Source: answer back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.