riposte
Americannoun
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a quick, sharp return in speech or action; counterstroke.
a brilliant riposte to an insult.
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Fencing. a quick thrust given after parrying a lunge.
verb (used without object)
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to make a riposte.
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to reply or retaliate.
noun
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a swift sharp reply in speech or action
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fencing a counterattack made immediately after a successful parry
verb
Etymology
Origin of riposte
First recorded in 1700–10; from French, variant of risposte “prompt answer,” from Italian risposta, noun use of feminine past participle of rispondere “to answer,” from Vulgar Latin respondere (unrecorded) for Latin respondēre; respond
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.
We'll get Rodgers's riposte in time, but his era is over now.
From BBC
As critic Gary Scharnhorst writes in an afterword to a recent edition of this classic: “The riposte to ‘it can’t happen here’ is ‘it already has.”
From Salon
At a grassroots level, inspired by the reclamation of queer by the gay rights movement, B***h Magazine launched in 1996 in Portland, Oregon, as a feminist riposte to demeaning stereotypes.
From Salon
So much has been said about the Old Firm's inability to break through their young players, but Clement has some decent ripostes to that criticism now.
From BBC
One of the most hilarious ripostes to Nazism is still Mel Brooks’ “The Producers.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.