noun / verb
retort
ri-TORT/rɪˈtɔːrt/
A sharp or witty reply.
The man's sharp retort makes the original speaker fall silent.
Etymology
Twisting or throwing something back became returning an injury in kind. Applied to exchanges of sarcasm or jest, this developed into answering someone sharply or aggressively.
In context
if they are getting it given to them, they should be able to retort. And it maybe not it's not entirely conducive to a good situation if if it's escalating and swearing and stuff
More examples
- His sharp retort ended the argument.
- He answered the insult with a clever retort.
- I was too surprised to retort immediately.
Forms
retort · retorts · retorted · retorting