parry

verb

par·​ry ˈper-ē 

ˈpa-rē

parried; parrying

intransitive verb

1

: to ward off a weapon or blow

parried forcefully and knocked his opponent's sword out of his hand

2

: to evade or turn aside something

can parry and thrust … without losing the thread of his argument

—Stewart Cockburn

transitive verb

1

: to ward off (something, such as a blow)

parried the thrust of his opponent's sword

2

: to evade especially by an adroit answer

parried the question

parry noun

Did you know?

What do parry, parapet, and parasol have in common?

Parry (which is used in fencing, as well as in other applications) was borrowed from French parer, meaning "to ward off" or "to avert," and may specifically have come directly from the plural imperative form of that word, parez. The French likely borrowed the word from Italian parare, meaning "to prepare, adorn, avert, shield, keep out." That word's source is Latin parāre, meaning "to supply, provide, make ready," an ancestor to many familiar English words, among them prepare, repair, emperor, separate, and apparatus.

Examples of parry in a Sentence

He parried the thrust of his opponent's sword.

He parried and then threw a punch.

She cleverly parried the reporters' questions.

Recent Examples on the Web

And with the charges coming from Bonta, a fellow progressive elected on a similar reform platform, Gascón can’t easily parry criticisms as sour grapes from conservatives. —James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024

Far from limiting himself to parrying German demands, Pétain and his government rashly grasped the opportunity to remake the nation along reactionary lines. —Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French parer "to ward off, avert" (perhaps directly from the plural imperative parez), going back to Middle French, probably borrowed from Italian parare "to prepare, adorn, avert, shield, keep out," going back to Latin parāre "to supply, provide, make ready" — more at pare

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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Kids Definition

parry

verb

par·​ry ˈpar-ē 

parried; parrying

1

: to turn aside skillfully : deflect

parry a blow

2

: evade sense 1

parry an embarrassing question

parry noun