parry
verb (used with object)
to ward off (a thrust, stroke, weapon, etc.), as in fencing; avert.
parry
1 American
[par-ee]
/ ˈpær i /
verb (used with object)
-
parries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
parried,
past participle, past
-
parrying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
parries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
parried,
past participle, past
-
parrying
present participle
noun
-
parries
plural
-
an act or instance of parrying, as in fencing.
-
a defensive movement in fencing.
Parry
2
American
[par-ee]
/ ˈpær i /
noun
-
Milman, 1902–35, U.S. classical scholar and philologist.
-
William Edward, 1790–1855, English Arctic explorer.
parry
1
British
/ ˈpærɪ /
verb
-
to ward off (an attack) by blocking or deflecting, as in fencing
-
(tr) to evade (questions), esp adroitly
noun
-
an act of parrying, esp (in fencing) using a stroke or circular motion of the blade
-
a skilful evasion, as of a question
Parry
2
British
/ ˈpærɪ /
noun
-
Sir ( Charles ) Hubert ( Hastings ). 1848–1918, English composer, noted esp for his choral works
-
Sir William Edward. 1790–1855, English arctic explorer, who searched for the Northwest Passage (1819–25) and attempted to reach the North Pole (1827)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
parrysimple
-
parriessimple
-
have parriedperfect
-
has parriedperfect
-
am parryingprogressive
-
are parryingprogressive
-
is parryingprogressive
-
have been parryingperfect progressive
-
has been parryingperfect progressive
Past
-
parriedsimple
-
had parriedperfect
-
was parryingprogressive
-
were parryingprogressive
-
had been parryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parry
1665–75; < French parez, imperative of parer to ward off, set off < Latin parāre to set. See parade
Explanation
Sword fighters thrust and parry. To thrust is to try to stab, and to parry is to avoid getting stabbed by blocking a thrust. Though it comes from fencing, parry is also handy in dodgeball and awkward conversations The word parry means to block or evade a movement, like in fencing, but it can also refer to an evasion that is verbal rather than physical. If someone asks you who you have a crush on, but you don’t want to answer, parry the question — change the subject or ask a question in return. When used in this way parry retains its sense of defending yourself through evasion.
Vocabulary lists containing parry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He’s hardly able to parry the upbraiding meted out by Mr. Giamatti’s Jean, fastidiously dressed and radiating pompous self-satisfaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Columnists Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria took in all 120 minutes, absorbed every zinger — scripted and otherwise — and dutifully observed each parry and thrust.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
The Japanese prime minister’s resilience in the face of Chinese pressure could also be instructive to so-called middle powers that are searching for a way to parry pressure from both China and the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
The Belgian goalkeeper was quickly called into action again to parry Joao Palhinha's effort.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
I started off fast from the on-guard line, accelerating to a fast lunge around Brandon’s premeditated parry.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
She ordered Winehouse to pay interim payments to each of the women – £569,330 to Parry and £394,521 to Gourlay – within the next two weeks.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Parry noted that many businesses also closed during the heatwave and said young people should understand workplace responsibilities.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Parry said parents were "really supportive" and pupils were given advice to stay safe and comfortable at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Chris Parry, the head teacher of Lewis School in Pengam which closed for two days during the heatwave, said his decision was made to prioritise pupil safety.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Well,” she said, turning to Mrs. Parry, “I’m sure it won’t matter for a day or so. You can have my daughter’s room, dear. She’s in Australia. She won’t be needing it again.”
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
Battles in Rise of the Ronin are lightning fast, full of parries, counterstrikes and flying sparks as steel meets steel.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
Gavin Bazunu parries, but only straight to Anass Zaroury who buries the rebound first-time for the opener.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2024
There are bracelets, for instance, that one can acquire that can greatly simplify action, allowing players to better time their parries, or turning complex moves into simple one-button presses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2023
The two players traded taunts and parries, their lines racing around each other like a pair of squirrels.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 24, 2022
The Obayifo is counting on that, though—it easily dodges my jabs and parries my swipes.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
He should have saved King's equaliser at his near post, while his initial save for Fulham's second was parried into a dangerous area, allowing Garcia to score.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Nicholls, on 42, gloved an attempted hook down the leg side and Rew parried the ball high to his right.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
He often appeared relaxed during the gubernatorial debates, at points even complimenting or joking with his rivals as they parried on stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
When I asked Mr. Cornyn about it, he parried the question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
She parried the metal lady’s spear with her huge cavalry sword, but she was about to be overpowered.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
He was parrying tough questions on a big stage for the first time, facing an audience who knew him only as the Angry L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Unlike commercial antibiotics, phages evolve alongside their bacterial hosts, dodging and parrying the bacterial response so that for every pathogen, there’s likely a bacteriophage, somewhere, that eats it.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2024
Jim Ludes, a former national defense analyst who now leads the Pell Center for International Affairs and Public Policy at Salve Regina University, said political parrying is inevitable.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
He worked side by side with graduate students in a windowless office and lab, shunning computers and calculators and parrying the theoretical abstractions that often dominate the world of physics.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2022
“Do you doubt that I do?” he replied, parrying my question.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
