replied; replying
1
2
: to do something in response
specifically
: to return gunfire or an attack
: to give as an answer
plural replies
1
: something said, written, or done in answer or response
Synonyms
Examples of reply in a Sentence
Verb
I called out to them, but no one replied.
He didn't reply to her greeting.
The company has replied to the recent protests by posting an ad in the local newspaper.
She replied to the accusation with a stack of documents proving her innocence.
He replied politely that he felt a little better.
Noun
A timely reply will be appreciated.
The invitations have been sent, but we haven't received any replies yet.
I asked her what was wrong. In reply, she handed me a letter.
He wrote a brief note in reply to her letter.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Earlier this month, the fan favorite contestant replied to an Instagram comment on a video of her and former co-star Kathy Swarts discussing Nist and Turner's April 12 announcement.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Turner replied that all states have an exception for saving the life of the mother.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Turner replied that there is no objective standard, just a subjective one.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
Its executive committee replied with explicit disapproval, Dr. Applegate said.
—Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The Chinese embassy did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
—Reuters, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024
Pirch executives have not replied to requests for comment.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
The 67-year-old fan favorite replied to an Instagram comment on a video of her and former co-star Kathy Swarts discussing the couple’s April 12 announcement.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
The lab’s principal investigator and assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management Bradley Cohen pointed out in a reply to a commenter that mallards usually migrate at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet at night.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2024
Such notices are typically flagged to the board and generate a reply including a time line for corrective action.
—Sridhar Natarajan, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Using their work user names, employees can select or upload an image, type a message over it, post it and wait for the replies to roll in.
—Nico Grant, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Fox News Digital reached out to the school for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 7 Apr. 2024
Trump’s and Smith's replies filed Monday were in response to Cannon proposing two jury instructions that basically followed the former president’s argument.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In fact, these accounts are also eligible for ad-sharing revenue based on the organic impressions on promotions that appear in the replies to their extremist and racist posts.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Chat Assist is in the Samsung Keyboard app and offers replies or can help rephrase a message to match certain tones.
—Iyaz Akhtar, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
Tabassum, who previously spoke to The Times, did not reply to a subsequent interview request.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Earlier this month, the fan favorite contestant replied to an Instagram comment on a video of her and former co-star Kathy Swarts discussing Nist and Turner's April 12 announcement.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Turner replied that all states have an exception for saving the life of the mother.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Turner replied that there is no objective standard, just a subjective one.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
Its executive committee replied with explicit disapproval, Dr. Applegate said.
—Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The Chinese embassy did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
—Reuters, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024
Pirch executives have not replied to requests for comment.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
The 67-year-old fan favorite replied to an Instagram comment on a video of her and former co-star Kathy Swarts discussing the couple’s April 12 announcement.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Noun
Mazumdar’s team sent a reply saying that the client could try to reserve through Resy.
—Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
The lab’s principal investigator and assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management Bradley Cohen pointed out in a reply to a commenter that mallards usually migrate at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet at night.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2024
Such notices are typically flagged to the board and generate a reply including a time line for corrective action.
—Sridhar Natarajan, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Using their work user names, employees can select or upload an image, type a message over it, post it and wait for the replies to roll in.
—Nico Grant, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Fox News Digital reached out to the school for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 7 Apr. 2024
Trump’s and Smith's replies filed Monday were in response to Cannon proposing two jury instructions that basically followed the former president’s argument.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In fact, these accounts are also eligible for ad-sharing revenue based on the organic impressions on promotions that appear in the replies to their extremist and racist posts.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Chat Assist is in the Samsung Keyboard app and offers replies or can help rephrase a message to match certain tones.
—Iyaz Akhtar, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reply.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near reply
Cite this Entry
“Reply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reply. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reply
1 of 2 verb
re·ply
ri-ˈplī 
replied; replying
1
: to respond in words or writing
reply to a letter
2
: to do something in response
especially
: to return gunfire or an attack
3
: to give as an answer
replied not a word
reply
2 of 2 noun
plural replies
: something said, written, or done in answer or response
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share