answer for (something)

idiom

1

: to take responsibility for (something)

I can't answer for their safety.

The company will have to answer for any damage done by its employees.

2

: to be punished for (something)

He must answer for his crimes.

3

US : to be used or serve as (something)

The old bucket answered for a sink.

Examples of answer for (something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The answer for many of the questions that 2025 entails lies not in choosing one approach over another, but in combining the best of them all, and their complementarity. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

First, the Bruins had no answer for Michigan’s interior dominance, Vladislav Goldin dunking on one player after another. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025

Not having an answer for Raegan Beers inside is one thing, most teams don’t have the heft to contend with the junior center in the post. —Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025

Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. —Charna Flam, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025