retort

/rɪˈtɔrt/

/rɪˈtɔt/

Other forms: retorted; retorts; retorting

A retort is a short, clever response to someone's comment or question. If you want to keep the peace during dinner, you should probably bite your tongue instead of making sarcastic retorts to everything your little sister says.

Today retort is used as both a noun and a verb, and both come from 16th- and 17th-century sources meaning "to twist or turn back." To retort is to make a comeback, or a quick, witty answer or remark. It can be a form of payback when someone tries to insult or tease another person, and often, the perfect retort doesn't occur to you till later, when you think "Oh! I wish I had said that earlier!"

Definitions of retort

1. noun

   a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
   synonyms: comeback, counter, rejoinder, replication, return, riposte

   types:

   back talk, backtalk, lip, mouth, sass, sassing

   an impudent or insolent rejoinder

   type of:

   reply, response

   the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange
2. verb

   answer back
   synonyms: come back, rejoin, repay, return, riposte

   type of:

   answer, reply, respond

   react verbally
3. noun

   a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
   types:

   alembic

   an obsolete kind of container used for distillation; two retorts connected by a tube

   type of:

   vessel

   an object used as a container (especially for liquids)