riposte

/rɪˈpoʊst/

Other forms: riposted; ripostes; riposting

A riposte is a clever comeback or witty response. Many people can only think of the perfect riposte after the conversation has already moved on, when it's too late to say it!

Winston Churchill was famous for his skill with a riposte, like when his friend Lady Astor said that if he were her husband, she'd poison his tea, and he responded, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it!" This kind of quick, funny retort is a classic riposte. Originally, the word riposte came from a French word for a certain kind of lunge in fencing, and it still has this same meaning today.

Definitions of riposte

1. noun

   (fencing) a counterattack made immediately after successfully parrying the opponents lunge
   type of:

   counterattack, countermove

   an attack by a defending force against an attacking enemy force in order to regain lost ground or cut off enemy advance units etc.
2. noun

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

   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
3. verb

   make a return thrust
   “his opponent riposted”

   type of:

   hurl, hurtle, lunge, thrust

   make a thrusting forward movement
4. verb

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

   type of:

   answer, reply, respond

   react verbally