answer for (something)
idiom
1
: to take responsibility for (something)
I can't answer for their safety.
The company will have to answer for any damage done by its employees.
2
: to be punished for (something)
He must answer for his crimes.
3
US
: to be used or serve as (something)
The old bucket answered for a sink.
Examples of answer for (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike Loveland, Burden didn’t have an answer for what Johnson’s vision for him could be with the Bears.
—
Adam Jahns, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Wood asked lawyers for Jones and the government to reconvene at 8:45 a.m. Thursday to agree on an answer for the jurors’ question about whether Jones needed to accept one or both things of value to be found guilty of bribery.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
The crowd erupted with laughter, but Nélisse and her castmates couldn’t settle on an answer for Lyle.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 Apr. 2025
Maybe this is exactly what the Giants need in their current position: a confident franchise quarterback who pushes back hard against critics, who hears everything the doubters say and has an answer for them.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answer for (something)
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Adam Jahns, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Wood asked lawyers for Jones and the government to reconvene at 8:45 a.m. Thursday to agree on an answer for the jurors’ question about whether Jones needed to accept one or both things of value to be found guilty of bribery.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
The crowd erupted with laughter, but Nélisse and her castmates couldn’t settle on an answer for Lyle.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 Apr. 2025
Maybe this is exactly what the Giants need in their current position: a confident franchise quarterback who pushes back hard against critics, who hears everything the doubters say and has an answer for them.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answer for (something)
Cite this Entry
“Answer for (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/answer%20for%20%28something%29. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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