answer back
This page is about the phrasal verb answer back
Meaning
to reply rudely to someone who is in a position of authority, such as a teacher, a parent or a coach
For example
- answer back Harry's students don't respect him. Some of them even answer back rudely when he asks them to do something.
- answer sb back My son answers his mother back when she tells him to do something like clean his room. He says things like "Clean it yourself!"
Nouns often used as objects with answer back: parent, teacher, coach, supervisor, manager, warder
Note:This phrasal verb is usually only used to describe the behaviour of a subordinate towards an authority figure, such as a child towards a parent, a student towards a teacher, a junior employee towards a workplace supervisor, or a prisoner towards a warder.
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