1 B1 neutral
To be under the authority of someone and have to explain your actions to them.
"As regional manager, she answers directly to the vice president."
inseparable
answer to
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To be accountable to someone, or to respond to a particular name or description.
In plain English
Have to explain yourself to someone because they are in charge of you, or to be known by a certain name.
What does "answer to" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To respond to or be known by a particular name.
"Our cat answers to the name 'Whiskers', but only when she feels like it."
inseparable
3 B2 formal
To match a description, especially of a suspect or person being sought.
"Police are looking for a man who answers to the description of a tall, bearded individual in his forties."
inseparable
Usage tip
Has two main uses: (1) hierarchy/accountability ('answer to the CEO') and (2) name/description ('the dog answers to Buster'). The accountability sense is very common in workplace contexts. The name sense is common in informal or humorous contexts.
Words that pair with "answer to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
nobody boss board God name nobody but yourself
How to conjugate "answer to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
answer to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
answers to
he/she/it
Past simple
answered to
yesterday
Past participle
answered to
have + pp
-ing form
answering to
continuous
Hear "answer to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "answer to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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