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rsvp

UK/ˌɑː(ɹ) ɛs viː ˈpiː/US/ˌɑː(ɹ) ɛs viː ˈpiː/
nounB2+2 meaningsOccasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,114 of 15,258leans spoken

RSVP is what an invitation prints when it wants to know whether you are coming. It stands for the French répondez s'il vous plaît — please reply — and it has been standard on English invitations for two hundred years.

It works as a noun and as a verb: send your RSVP, please RSVP by the tenth. As a verb it is regular and slightly awkward in writing — RSVPed, RSVPing — which is why most people avoid the past tense and say replied instead. Two points of etiquette that learners are rarely told: RSVP means reply whether or not you are coming, and RSVP regrets only means reply only if you are not. Failing to RSVP is a small rudeness with a long memory attached.

Monsieur Decauville aine (Mr. Decauville the Elder) · Public domain

Definitions of rsvp

  1. 1nounrsvpA request on an invitation that you say whether you will come.B2+

    “The RSVP is due by the end of the month.”

  2. 2verbmannersTo reply to an invitation saying whether you will attend.B2+

    “Only half the guests had RSVPed by the deadline.”

Also practised as

  • verbTo reply saying whether you will attend.

Practised in Weddings & Celebrations

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