The Idiom 'Answer To': Meaning, Usage, and Origin

Meaning: The idiom "answer to" can have two meanings. The first meaning is to be accountable or responsible to someone or something. It is used to describe the relationship between a person or entity and another person or entity that they must report to or be held accountable by.

The second meaning is to have, use, or correspond to something in a particular way or for a particular purpose.

"answer to" meaning and sample sentences

Part of speech: This idiom is usually used as a verb phrase, but it can also be used as a noun phrase in some cases.

Context: The first meaning of "answer to" is commonly used in professional and formal settings, especially in the context of work relationships or organizational structure.

However, it can also be used in informal conversations to describe personal relationships or accountability.

The second meaning is more likely to be used in a technical or scientific context, where the focus is on describing how things match up or correspond with each other.

Origin: The origin of this idiom is not clear, but it is likely derived from the sense of "answer" as providing an explanation or justification for one's actions or decisions. The use of "answer to" in this sense dates back to the 16th century.

Sample sentences:

As the CEO, he has to answer to the board of directors.
She always answers to her conscience before making a decision.
The company is answerable to its shareholders for its financial performance.
The police officer had to answer to his superiors for his actions on the job.
The specifications of the product have to answer to the customer's needs.
This machine answers to the purpose of cutting metal sheets.
The new design corresponds to the requirements of the project.
The software must answer to the demands of the user.
The experiment results answered to the hypothesis.
The map corresponds to the territory in a 1:1 ratio.

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