responding

verb

present participle of respond
1
as in reacting
to act or behave in response (as to a stimulus or influence) doctors studying how the brain responds to pain

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in replying
to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction the students energetically participated in the discussion, responding to the teacher's questions and comments with alacrity and enthusiasm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of responding The president breaks news on Truth Social so often that the White House press office will copy his posts into an email when responding to questions from the media seeking details on policies. — Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026 People are responding rationally to what the organization rewards, at every level of the chart. — Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Kuwait’s military said Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks, which were part of Iran’s assaults on the country. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 Safety measures in place Cameras have played a role in responding to these concerns and are currently used to keep tabs on Old Sacramento. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026 Many people, including children, regularly pass out due to the intense heat, suffering nosebleeds that have to be treated by responding paramedics. — Thomas Kennedy, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026 Police responding to an assault in progress found Crisaine Dockery unconscious on the Belt Parkway at Farmers Blvd. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026 Achilles Shield is expected to replace this fragmented approach with a more integrated, layered network capable of responding simultaneously to multiple aerial threats, including increasingly sophisticated drone attacks. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026 The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office launched a suspicious death investigation after responding to a house fire in Grand Haven Township and discovering multiple fatalities. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for responding
  1. reacting
  2. replying
  3. answering
Verb
  • Those reacting on social media were divided over the concept.
    — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Real readiness comes from time behind the wheel, merging into fast-moving lanes, reacting to other drivers’ mistakes and making good decisions when conditions are less than ideal.
    — David Etue, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of reacting
Verb
  • Gerasimov continued his relationship with the die-hard followers, replying to their messages, encouraging them to help shape the series’ narrative.
    — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Pause before replying, then name the need in one clean sentence.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of replying
Verb
  • Universities should be perfectly capable of answering these questions for themselves.
    — David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • There are many unanswered questions in friendship research, but friendship-making orientation provides a useful step toward answering them.
    — Diego Guevara Beltran, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of answering

Browse Nearby Words

responders
responding
responding (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Responding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/responding. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on responding

Nglish: Translation of responding for Spanish Speakers

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