retort

Syllables: re·tort/ɹɪˈtɔːt/US/ɹɪˈtɔɹt/

retort noun: a sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.

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Noun (1)

retort (plural retorts)

A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.
- He countered her insult with a clever retort.

Verb (1)

retort (third-person singular simple present retorts, present participle retorting, simple past and past participle retorted)

To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.
- “It is a pity,” he retorted with aggravating meekness, “that they do not use a little common sense. The case resembles that of Columbus' egg, and is every bit as simple.[…]”1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Ayrsham Mystery”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London...
Synonyms:

comeback, rejoinder, back answer
To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility.
- to retort the charge of vanity
- And with retorted scorn his back he turned.1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
To bend or curve back.
- a retorted line
- With retorted head, pruned themselves as they floated.1829, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Murray, […]...
To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect.
- As when his virtues, shining upon others, / Heat them and they retort that heat again / To the first giver.c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- Glasses were filled, arresting the trooper on a theme of passion; the pariahdom of the country cop, whose self-respect is to retort the law's blackmail for blackmail levied on his self-respect.1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 162

Noun (2)

retort (plural retorts)

A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation.
- A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure.1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Naval Treaty, Norton, page 670
An airtight vessel in which material is subjected to high temperatures in the chemical industry or as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and forging of metal.
A pressure cooker.
- The retort is above boiling water. Beneath is a furnace. To the right a man is removing the chips from which the camphor has been extracted.March 1920, Alice Ballantine Kirjassoff, “FORMOSA THE BEAUTIFUL”, in National Geographic Magazine, page 268
A crematory furnace.

Verb (2)

retort (third-person singular simple present retorts, present participle retorting, simple past and past participle retorted)

(transitive) To heat in a retort.

retort meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam

retort in Tamil

to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation: எதிர்த்து பேசு etirttu pēcu

retort in Urdu

بدلہ, قصاص, واپس پھینکنا

retort in Bengali

তৎক্ষণাৎ তীক্ষ্ণ জবাব দেওয়া

retort in Malayalam

a sharp or witty reply: തർക്കുത്തരം taṟkkuttaraṁ
to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation: തിരിച്ചടിക്കുക tiriccaṭikkuka

More languagesFewer languages

retort in Kannada: ಮಾರ‍್ನುಡಿ, ಎದುರುತ್ತರ, ಚುಚ್ಚುವ ಉತ್ತರ, ಮಾತಿನ ಏಟು

Examples of retort in a sentence

He got a series of insults off before I could come up with a single retort.
He had a cutting retort on the tip of his tongue, but he choked it back.
Such speculations are often met with a retort that leans even harder into the stupidity allegation.

All 40 example sentences with retort

Synonyms of retort

Forms of retort

Noun
plural	retorts
Verb
third-person singular present	retorts
present participle	retorting
past participle	retorted
past	retorted

Past tense of retort: retorted

Plural of retort: retorts

Origin of retort

From Middle English retorte, from Latin retortus, from retorquēre (“to be forced to twist back”).

From French retorte.

Words formed from retort

Phrases with retort

Words that rhyme with retort

44 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about retort

What does retort mean?: Retort means a sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.
What is retort in Tamil?: Retort in Tamil is எதிர்த்து பேசு (etirttu pēcu). See Retort meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is retort?: Retort can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce retort?: Retort is pronounced /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/ (US).
What is the plural of retort?: The plural of retort is retorts.

Words near retort in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: retort (page history and authors); retort (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); retort (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); retort (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-AcpoKrane-retort.wav.

Cite this entry: “retort.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/retort. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.