reply

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• intransitive verb To speak or write as a reaction to a question or other prompting.
• intransitive verb To act in reaction or as a response: synonym: answer.
• intransitive verb Law To respond to the defendant's answer or plea.
• intransitive verb To say or give as an answer.
• noun A word or a series of words spoken or written in reaction, as to a question or request.
• noun An act made in reaction or response.
• noun Law A plaintiff's response to the defendant's answer or plea, especially with regard to counterclaims made by the defendant.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun An answer; a response.
• noun The act or power of answering, especially with fitness or conclusiveness.
• noun That which is done for or in consequence of something else; an answer by deeds; a counter-attack: as, his reply was a blow.
• noun In music, the answer of a fugue.
• To fold back.
• To return for an answer.
• To make answer; answer; respond.
• To do or give something in return for something else; make return or response; answer by suitable action; meet an attack: as, to reply to the enemy's fire.
• In law, to answer a defendant's plea.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb To return for an answer.
• intransitive verb To make a return in words or writing; to respond; to answer.
• intransitive verb (Law) To answer a defendant's plea.
• intransitive verb Figuratively, to do something in return for something done
• noun That which is said, written, or done in answer to what is said, written, or done by another; an answer; a response.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• verb transitive, intransitive To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
• verb intransitive To act or gesture in response.
• verb intransitive To repeat something back; to echo.
• noun A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
• noun Something given in reply.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb react verbally
• noun a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
• noun the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange