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"answering" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often replying (8 letters).
Definitions
Replying or responding.
Word origin
From Middle English answerynge; equivalent to answer + -ing.
Used in a sentence
“An answer that comes out of the whirlwind is, logically, no answer at all: it belongs to a world above that of logical answerings.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Giving a reply”9 letters
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