retort

[ ri-tawrt ]

See synonyms for: retort retorted on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply in kind to.
to return (an accusation, epithet, etc.) upon the person uttering it.

to answer (an argument or the like) by another to the contrary.

noun

a severe, incisive, or witty reply, especially one that counters a first speaker's statement, argument, etc.
the act of retorting.

Origin of retort

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin retortus (past participle of retorquēre “to bend back, wrench”), equivalent to re- re- + torquēre “to twist, bend”

synonym study For retort

4. See answer.

Other words for retort

1	retaliate
4	riposte, rejoinder, response

See synonyms for retort on Thesaurus.com

Other words from retort

re·tort·er, noun

Words Nearby retort

Other definitions for retort (2 of 2)

retort²

[ ri-tawrt ]

noun

Chemistry.
- a vessel, commonly a glass bulb with a long neck bent downward, used for distilling or decomposing substances by heat.
- a refractory chamber, generally cylindrically shaped, within which some substance, as ore or coal, is heated as part of a smelting or manufacturing process.
- an airtight, usually cylindrical vessel of fire clay or iron, used in the destructive distillation chiefly of coal and wood in the manufacture of illuminating gas.
a sterilizer for food cans.

verb (used with object)

to sterilize food after it is sealed in a container, by steam or other heating methods.
Chemistry. to subject (shale, ore, etc.) to heat and possibly reduced pressure in order to produce fuel oil, metal, etc.

Origin of retort

First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French retorte, early Modern German retort (German Retorte ), from Medieval Latin retorta, noun use of feminine of Latin retortus;see retort¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use retort in a sentence

Last week, The Lancet published a retort from a team led by Temple University biologist Enrico Bucci.
How America Could Be Helping COVID Ravage the World | David Axe | May 21, 2021 | The Daily Beast
When the body goes into the retort, the first thing to burn is its cardboard box, or “alternative container” as it’s called on the funeral bill.
How to Be Better at Death (Ep. 450) | Maria Konnikova | February 4, 2021 | Freakonomics
My grandfather’s witty retort kept coming to mind this year.
Tallying up a year of loss: A lot of pounds, too many loved ones, countless connections | Jerry Brewer | December 27, 2020 | Washington Post
The Ralph retort, a paragon of ethical journalism websites, decided to make crowdsourcing stuff to discredit me into a project.
Rage Against GamerGate’s Hate Machine: What I Got For Speaking Up | Arthur Chu | November 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I want Ebola to leave Liberia, so I can go to school,” came the snappy retort deciphered by locals.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola | Sarah Crowe | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

(To which the obvious retort was: the Christ-like thing to do would be to forgive me).
Sympathy for the Devils: Scenes From the Social Conservative Collapse | Olivia Nuzzi | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That remark prompted a sharp retort from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Just How Extremist Are the Rebels in Syria? | Jamie Dettmer | September 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Here's a Boehner retort to Sean Hannity (via Buzzfeed's Rebecca Berg).
Why I Love John Boehner | Justin Green | March 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
There is nothing like a plaintive retort when your case is utterly indefensible.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
In conversing with foreigners, if they speak slightingly of the manners of your country, do not retort rudely, or resentfully.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
Probably he lays hold of the elements of experience and casts them into a seeming retort of reveries.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The whole mass is then transferred to a retort and distilled over a slow fire.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
"But my rings always make tusks more beautiful," was his retort.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji

British Dictionary definitions for retort (1 of 2)

retort¹

/ (rɪˈtɔːt) /

verb

(when tr, takes a clause as object) to utter (something) quickly, sharply, wittily, or angrily, in response
to use (an argument) against its originator; turn the tables by saying (something)

noun

a sharp, angry, or witty reply
an argument used against its originator

Origin of retort

C16: from Latin retorquēre to twist back, from re- + torquēre to twist, wrench

Derived forms of retort

retorter, noun

British Dictionary definitions for retort (2 of 2)

retort²

/ (rɪˈtɔːt) /

noun

a glass vessel with a round bulb and long tapering neck that is bent down, used esp in a laboratory for distillation
a vessel in which large quantities of material may be heated, esp one used for heating ores in the production of metals or heating coal to produce gas

verb

(tr) to heat in a retort

Origin of retort

C17: from French retorte, from Medieval Latin retorta, from Latin retorquēre to twist back; see retort 1

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

Scientific definitions for retort

retort

[ rĭ-tôrt′, rē′- ]

A glass laboratory vessel in the shape of a bulb with a long, downward-pointing outlet tube. It is used for distillation or decomposition by heat.

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