答覆 (dá fù) is a formal verb meaning 'to reply' or 'to respond', typically used in written communication, official correspondence, or professional settings. The first character 答 means 'to answer', and the second character 覆 means 'to cover' or 'to report back' — together they convey the sense of giving a complete, considered response to a question, request, or inquiry. Unlike the more casual 回复 (huí fù), 答覆 carries a tone of responsibility and formality, often implying an obligation to respond.

This word appears frequently in business emails, government documents, customer service contexts, and academic exchanges. It is rarely used in spoken, everyday conversation — native speakers usually opt for 回复 or 回答 instead when speaking informally. Note that 答覆 is almost always transitive and requires an object (e.g., 答覆问题, 答覆邮件), and it does not take aspect markers like 了 or 过 as readily as colloquial verbs do.