answer to (someone)

You "answer to" someone who's in charge of you, like your boss. This means that, if you make a mistake or do something you weren't supposed to, you will have to explain your mistake to this person.

Even if you own your own business, you still have to answer to investors and customers.

The idea of "answering to" someone is a little negative, so it's not the usual way to explain who your boss is. A more common phrase is "report to":

A: Who does Doug report to?

B: To Hyun Jung, I think.

If you think that you're completely independent and don't have to take orders from anyone, you can say this:

I answer to no one!

This phrase appears in these lessons: