1 [count] a : something you say or write when someone asks you a question
▪ I asked him a simple question and he gave me a long and confusing answer. ▪ I didn't believe her answer. ▪ They wouldn't give me a straight answer to my question. ▪ There will be a question and answer session [=a period of time when people can have their questions answered] following the speech.
b : a response to a question that is meant to show whether or not you know something (such as a question asked as part of an exam)
▪ I didn't know the right/correct answer. ▪ That is the wrong/incorrect answer.
c : the correct response to a question
▪ Do you know the answer to this question? ▪ He knew the answers to only 3 of the 10 questions. ▪ The answers are listed in the back of the book. 2 : something you say or write as a reaction to something someone else has said or done [count] ▪ I sent a letter of complaint but I never got an answer. [=response] ▪ I finally received an answer [=reply] to my letter. ▪ When I say something to you I expect an answer. [=response] ▪ I called out her name but I got no answer. [=reply] [noncount] ▪ In answer [=in response] to your request we are sending a catalog. 3 [count] : something you do in response to something that has happened : a reaction to something — usually singular ▪ I called several times but there was no answer. [=no one answered the phone when I called] ▪ I got no answer when I called. ▪ I knocked on the door but there was no answer. [=no one opened the door when I knocked on it] ▪ The company had no answer when its competitors lowered their prices. ▪ When she called him a liar, his only answer was to walk out. ▪ Our team had no answer for the other team's strong offense. [=our team could not win because of the other team's strong offense] 4 [count] : a solution to a problem : something that makes a bad situation better
▪ More money is not the answer (to our problems). ▪ It's a very difficult problem, and I don't know what the answer is. ▪ They don't have answers for everything. = They don't have an answer for everything. ▪ For a tough issue like this there are no easy answers. ▪ He thinks he has/knows all the answers. [=he thinks that he knows the solution to every problem] ◊Someone or something that is the answer to (all) your prayers provides you with something that you want or need.
▪ If you've been wanting to get your schedule organized, this new software is the answer to (all) your prayers. ▪ They were desperate to find a good lawyer, and they thought she might be the answer to their prayers. 5 [count] : something or someone that resembles a well-known or successful thing or person — + to ▪ The program is television's answer to newsmagazines. [=the program is similar to a newsmagazine]