Illustration of retort
- 3retort
retorted; retorting; retorts
1
: to pay or hurl back : return
retort an insult
2
a
: to make a reply to
b
: to say in reply
3
: to answer (an argument) by a counter argument
1
: to answer back usually sharply
2
: to return an argument or charge
3
: a quick, witty, or cutting reply
especially
: one that turns back or counters the first speaker's words
: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
retorted; retorting; retorts
: to treat (something, such as oil shale) by heating in a retort
Synonyms
Examples of retort in a Sentence
Verb (1)
when told she couldn't have it, she retorted, "Fine, I didn't want it anyway!"
Noun (1)
she responded to the heckler with a scathing but hilarious retort that instantly won over the audience
the salesclerk responded to my query about the price with a brusque retort
Recent Examples on the Web
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 18 Nov. 2024
As in Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz’s 2010 first-degree-murder trial, the portrayal of Thug lyrics as timely confessions and statements of intent fell apart after ferocious retort, protecting the rhetorical agency of art and artist under great duress.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Its many apologists in the media quickly retorted with their usual refrain: Where is the evidence?
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2015
See all Example Sentences for retort 
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Noun
And is there a word for the opposite type of person, besides the obvious rude retorts?
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 18 Nov. 2024
As in Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz’s 2010 first-degree-murder trial, the portrayal of Thug lyrics as timely confessions and statements of intent fell apart after ferocious retort, protecting the rhetorical agency of art and artist under great duress.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
Marcos had retorted that Duterte was a user of fentanyl, a painkiller and powerful opioid.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Its many apologists in the media quickly retorted with their usual refrain: Where is the evidence?
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2015
See all Example Sentences for retort
Dictionary Entries Near retort
Cite this Entry
“Retort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retort. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retort
1 of 3 verb
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt 
1
: to answer back : reply angrily or sharply
2
: to reply to an argument with an opposing argument
retort
2 of 3 noun
: a quick, witty, or angry reply
retort
3 of 3 noun
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt
ˈrē-ˌtȯ(ə)rt
: a container in which substances are distilled or broken down by heat
Etymology
Verb
from Latin retortus, past participle of retorquēre, literally "to twist back, hurl back," from re- "back, again" and torquēre "to twist" — related to distort, extort, torture
Noun
from early French retorte "a vessel in which substances are distilled," derived from Latin retortus, past participle of retorquēre "to twist"; probably so called from its shape
Medical Definition
retort
noun
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt
ˈrē-ˌ
ˈrē-ˌ
: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
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