"answer for" meaning in English

See answer for in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: answers for [present, singular, third-person], answering for [participle, present], answered for [participle, past], answered for [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} answer for (third-person singular simple present answers for, present participle answering for, simple past and past participle answered for)
  1. (transitive, intransitive) To be held responsible for; to take the blame for something. Tags: intransitive, transitive Translations (to be held responsible for): vastata [with-elative] (Finnish), felel (Hungarian), svare for (Norwegian), odpowiadać za [imperfective, with-accusative] (Polish), odpowiedzieć za [perfective, with-accusative] (Polish), responder por (Portuguese), отвечать за (otvečatʹ za) (Russian)
    Sense id: en-answer_for-en-verb-BPodEURe Disambiguation of 'to be held responsible for': 90 2 7 2
  2. (transitive) To guarantee. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-answer_for-en-verb-hTBtKs~e
  3. (transitive) To vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone). Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-answer_for-en-verb-CCgsRfEB Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs with particle (for) Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 7 63 4 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs with particle (for): 25 12 54 9
  4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see answer, for.
    Sense id: en-answer_for-en-verb-B4L3ODPO

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for answer for meaning in English (4.3kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "answers for",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answering for",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answered for",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answered for",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "answer for (third-person singular simple present answers for, present participle answering for, simple past and past participle answered for)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The mayor will be answering for his crimes for many years.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984, Morrissey, Johnny Marr (lyrics and music), “Suffer Little Children”, in The Smiths, performed by The Smiths",
          "text": "Oh John, you'll never be a man / And you'll never see your home again / Oh Manchester, so much to answer for",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 September, Wilson D Miscamble, “The Faculty 'Problem'”, in America, volume 197, number 6, page 26",
          "text": "Duffy dared to think that Queen Elizabeth I has a few things for which to answer",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 April 26, Gaby Hinsliff, “Vaccine hoarding is all the more disturbing as a Covid disaster unfolds in India”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "It’s true Modi has much to answer for. But still there is something disturbing about the fact that India is on track for up to half a million cases a day on some projections, while Britons young enough to have practically zero chance of dying from Covid get vaccinated.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be held responsible for; to take the blame for something."
      ],
      "id": "en-answer_for-en-verb-BPodEURe",
      "links": [
        [
          "transitive",
          "transitive"
        ],
        [
          "intransitive",
          "intransitive"
        ],
        [
          "responsible",
          "responsible"
        ],
        [
          "blame",
          "blame"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, intransitive) To be held responsible for; to take the blame for something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "tags": [
            "with-elative"
          ],
          "word": "vastata"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "word": "felel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "word": "svare for"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective",
            "with-accusative"
          ],
          "word": "odpowiadać za"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "tags": [
            "perfective",
            "with-accusative"
          ],
          "word": "odpowiedzieć za"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "word": "responder por"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 2 7 2",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "otvečatʹ za",
          "sense": "to be held responsible for",
          "word": "отвечать за"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I will answer for his debt, if he can't pay on the day.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To guarantee."
      ],
      "id": "en-answer_for-en-verb-hTBtKs~e",
      "links": [
        [
          "guarantee",
          "guarantee"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To guarantee."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "27 7 63 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 12 54 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (for)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She's known me for years, and she's always answered for me!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone)."
      ],
      "id": "en-answer_for-en-verb-CCgsRfEB",
      "links": [
        [
          "vouch",
          "vouch"
        ],
        [
          "attest",
          "attest"
        ],
        [
          "character",
          "character"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I don't know the answer to that, so I'm going to let my lawyer answer for me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see answer, for."
      ],
      "id": "en-answer_for-en-verb-B4L3ODPO",
      "links": [
        [
          "answer",
          "answer#English"
        ],
        [
          "for",
          "for#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "answer for"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (for)",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "answers for",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answering for",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answered for",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "answered for",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "answer for (third-person singular simple present answers for, present participle answering for, simple past and past participle answered for)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The mayor will be answering for his crimes for many years.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984, Morrissey, Johnny Marr (lyrics and music), “Suffer Little Children”, in The Smiths, performed by The Smiths",
          "text": "Oh John, you'll never be a man / And you'll never see your home again / Oh Manchester, so much to answer for",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 September, Wilson D Miscamble, “The Faculty 'Problem'”, in America, volume 197, number 6, page 26",
          "text": "Duffy dared to think that Queen Elizabeth I has a few things for which to answer",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 April 26, Gaby Hinsliff, “Vaccine hoarding is all the more disturbing as a Covid disaster unfolds in India”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "It’s true Modi has much to answer for. But still there is something disturbing about the fact that India is on track for up to half a million cases a day on some projections, while Britons young enough to have practically zero chance of dying from Covid get vaccinated.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be held responsible for; to take the blame for something."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "transitive",
          "transitive"
        ],
        [
          "intransitive",
          "intransitive"
        ],
        [
          "responsible",
          "responsible"
        ],
        [
          "blame",
          "blame"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, intransitive) To be held responsible for; to take the blame for something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I will answer for his debt, if he can't pay on the day.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To guarantee."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "guarantee",
          "guarantee"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To guarantee."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She's known me for years, and she's always answered for me!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "vouch",
          "vouch"
        ],
        [
          "attest",
          "attest"
        ],
        [
          "character",
          "character"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I don't know the answer to that, so I'm going to let my lawyer answer for me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see answer, for."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "answer",
          "answer#English"
        ],
        [
          "for",
          "for#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "tags": [
        "with-elative"
      ],
      "word": "vastata"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "word": "felel"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "word": "svare for"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective",
        "with-accusative"
      ],
      "word": "odpowiadać za"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "tags": [
        "perfective",
        "with-accusative"
      ],
      "word": "odpowiedzieć za"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "word": "responder por"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "otvečatʹ za",
      "sense": "to be held responsible for",
      "word": "отвечать за"
    }
  ],
  "word": "answer for"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.