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repartee

[ rep-er-tee, -tey, -ahr- ]
/ ˌrɛp ərˈti, -ˈteɪ, -ɑr- /
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noun
a quick, witty reply.
conversation full of such replies.
skill in making such replies.

OTHER WORDS FOR repartee

2 banter, sparring, fencing.
See synonyms for repartee on Thesaurus.com
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Origin of repartee

1635–45; <French repartie retort, noun use of feminine past participle of repartir,Middle French, equivalent to re-re- + partir to part

Words nearby repartee

repand, reparable, reparation, reparations, reparative, repartee, repartition, repass, repast, repatriate, repatriation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to repartee

banter, pleasantry, rejoinder, retort, sarcasm, wordplay, answer, badinage, comeback, humor, irony, persiflage, quip, raillery, reply, response, riposte, sally, satire, wit

How to use repartee in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for repartee

repartee
/ (ˌrɛpɑːˈtiː) /
noun
a sharp, witty, or aphoristic remark made as a reply
terse rapid conversation consisting of such remarks
skill in making sharp witty replies or conversation

Word Origin for repartee

C17: from French repartie, from repartir to retort, from re- + partir to go away
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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