Illustration of retort
- 3retort
retorted; retorting; retorts
1
: to pay or hurl back : return
retort an insult
2
a
: to make a reply to
I will retort the question … by another question.—
Winston Churchill
b
: to say in reply
"That's not true!" she retorted.
3
: to answer (an argument) by a counter argument
1
: to answer back usually sharply
He retorted angrily.
2
: to return an argument or charge
3
: a quick, witty, or cutting reply
especially
: one that turns back or counters the first speaker's words
: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
retorted; retorting; retorts
: to treat (something, such as oil shale) by heating in a retort
Examples of retort in a Sentence
Verb (1)
when told she couldn't have it, she retorted, "Fine, I didn't want it anyway!"
Noun (1)
she responded to the heckler with a scathing but hilarious retort that instantly won over the audience
the salesclerk responded to my query about the price with a brusque retort
Recent Examples on the Web
Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Noem retorted after Thompson raised the issue.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2025
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
Strange to say, her mother’s retort comforts her.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retort
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
After critics picked apart her appearance during the 2015 Wimbledon tennis tournament, Williams took to social media and retorted with a carefree beach selfie.
—Noun
Thompson, meanwhile, savors every contemptuous glare and hateful retort Anna regularly supplies.
—Cite this Entry
“Retort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retort. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
retort
1 of 3 verb
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt 
1
: to answer back : reply angrily or sharply
2
: to reply to an argument with an opposing argument
retort
2 of 3 noun
: a quick, witty, or angry reply
retort
3 of 3 noun
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt
ˈrē-ˌtȯ(ə)rt
: a container in which substances are distilled or broken down by heat
Etymology
Verb
from Latin retortus, past participle of retorquēre, literally "to twist back, hurl back," from re- "back, again" and torquēre "to twist" — related to distort, extort, torture
Noun
from early French retorte "a vessel in which substances are distilled," derived from Latin retortus, past participle of retorquēre "to twist"; probably so called from its shape
Medical Definition
retort
noun
re·tort
ri-ˈtȯ(ə)rt
ˈrē-ˌ
: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share