Skip to main content
to respond

to respond

333 3.6
To improve or react in a wanted way because of a treatment
  • verb
  • /rɪˈspɑnd/
  • Specialized
: responder a
  • Some individuals may not respond to conventional therapies and require alternative treatments.
  • respond well
  • fail to respond
  • respond to stimuli

And it's not something that responds very well to treatment, frankly.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • For a moment, he just lay there, willing his body to respond to his orders.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I like clean product because my skin responds to it better.

  • The first concern is that not all patients respond to sleep deprivation.

  • Healthcare in this country responds very quickly to incentives.

  • In addition, the male and female autonomic nervous systems respond differently to stress.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Urinary tract infections are common in women and respond well to antibiotics.

    Academic text (2011)
  • He hasn't responded to any treatment, and his condition worsens by the hour.

  • Patients with allergies often respond positively to the medication prescribed by their doctor.

  • Children typically respond well to encouraging words and positive reinforcement from their teachers.

Antonyms

61 3.9

To make a situation or condition less good

Idioms

Takes a long time to answer messages or questions

How Well

cured
2.7
to recover
748 2.5
to respond
  • Specialized
333 3.6
to improve
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

respond infinitive
responded past
responded past participle
responding present participle
responds third person singular

Etymology

Respond is also used in medicine to say that a body reacts to a treatment. It comes from the same Latin parts re- 'back' and spondere 'to promise', so when a patient responds, their body 'answers back' to the medicine by improving or changing as hoped.