retort
[verb]
Synonyms:
- reply, answer, come back with, counter, respond, return, riposte
[noun]
Synonyms:
- reply, answer, comeback (informal), rejoinder, response, riposte

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Related Words: reprisal, retaliation, revenge, crack, gag, jape, jest, joke, quip, sally, wisecrack, witticism

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English Thesaurus: answer, reply, response, retort, comeback, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. re‧tort¹ /rɪˈtɔːt $ -ɔːrt/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of retorquere 'to twist back, throw back', from torquere 'to twist']
to reply quickly, in an angry or humorous way:
‘It’s all your fault!’ he retorted.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. retort² noun [countable]
[Sense 1: Date: 1500-1600; Origin: ⇒ retort¹]
[Sense 2: Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: retorte, from Latin retorquere ( ⇒ retort¹); because of its bent shape]

1. a short angry or humorous reply:
He was about to make a sharp retort.

2. a bottle with a long narrow bent neck, used for heating chemicals

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

retort
noun
ADJ. quick, sharp | angry, caustic, furious
VERB + RETORT hurl, make He opened his mouth to make a caustic retort.
bite back, refrain from, suppress He bit back a sharp retort.
bring, draw, meet with Her remark drew bitter retorts from the unemployed workers.
sting sb into He was stung into an angry retort.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

retort
verb
ADV. quickly | angrily, bitterly, coolly, crisply, curtly, drily, flatly, furiously, grimly, harshly, sarcastically, sharply, stiffly ‘How dare you!’ he retorted angrily.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

answer something you say when someone asks you a question or speaks to you:
I asked if he wanted to come, but I didn’t get an answer.
If you’re asking me for money, the answer’s no!
reply an answer. Used especially in written English to report what someone said:
She asked how he felt, and received the reply, ‘Awful!’
‘Finished now?’ ‘No,' came the reply.
response an answer that clearly shows your reaction to a question, suggestion etc:
Wagner’s responses showed that he had thought carefully about the issues.
‘Sure. Why not?’ was his response to most of Billie’s suggestions.
retort written an angry answer given when someone has annoyed you or criticized you:
Isabelle began an angry retort and then stopped herself.
comeback a quick answer that is clever, funny, or rude:
He walked out before I could think of a snappy comeback.
riposte formal a quick and clever answer:
Anna produced the perfect riposte.
rejoinder formal a quick answer, especially a clever or rude one:
If he confronts them, he’ll run the risk of a sharp rejoinder.
respond formal to answer someone:
How do you respond to the allegation that you deliberately deceived your employers?
give somebody an answer to answer someone by telling them what you have decided or giving them a piece of information they asked for:
He asked me to marry him, but I didn’t give him an answer straight away.
get back to somebody to answer someone at a later time especially by telephoning them, usually because you need to think about their question or find out more information:
She’s promised to get back to me as soon as she hears any more news from the hospital.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

answer to say something to someone when they have asked you a question or spoken to you:
You don’t have to answer the question if you don’t want to.
I said hello to her, but she didn’t answer.
reply to answer someone. Used especially in written English to report what someone said:
‘I’m so sorry,’ he replied.
We asked Jane to help, but she replied that she was too busy.
respond formal to answer someone:
How do you respond to the allegation that you deliberately deceived your employers?
give somebody an answer to answer someone by telling them what you have decided or giving them a piece of information they asked for:
He asked me to marry him, but I didn’t give him an answer straight away.
get back to somebody to answer someone at a later time especially by telephoning them, usually because you need to think about their question or find out more information:
She’s promised to get back to me as soon as she hears any more news from the hospital.
retort written to answer someone angrily, especially because they have annoyed you or criticized you:
‘You’re not afraid?’ Brenda asked. ‘Of course not,’ he retorted angrily.
response an answer that clearly shows your reaction to a question, suggestion etc:
Wagner’s responses showed that he had thought carefully about the issues.
‘Sure. Why not?’ was his response to most of Billie’s suggestions.
comeback a quick answer that is clever, funny, or rude:
He walked out before I could think of a snappy comeback.
riposte formal a quick and clever answer:
Anna produced the perfect riposte.
rejoinder formal a quick answer, especially a clever or rude one:
If he confronts them, he’ll run the risk of a sharp rejoinder.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲