1
as in insults
a quick witty response
she responded to the heckler with a scathing but hilarious retort that instantly won over the audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in responses
something spoken or written in reaction especially to a question
the salesclerk responded to my query about the price with a brusque retort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in replies
to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction
when told she couldn't have it, she retorted, "Fine, I didn't want it anyway!"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retorts
Amie Parnes, The Hill, 28 Aug. 2025
But businesses are hoping for more than just retorts.
—Satviki Sanjay Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2025
His inquiries are met with gruff retorts by the barman, who is only interested in Henry buying a pint.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
Rank-and-file Democrats also have applauded Pritzker’s bullish retorts to Trump in recent days.
—Amie Parnes, The Hill, 28 Aug. 2025
But businesses are hoping for more than just retorts.
—Satviki Sanjay Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2025
His inquiries are met with gruff retorts by the barman, who is only interested in Henry buying a pint.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retorts
Noun
-
Egyptian influencers linked to intelligence fronts launched vicious personal attacks, including ethnic slurs, against the Saudi royal family and graphic insults targeting the crown prince.—
Khaled Hassan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
After a brief pause, the messages resumed months later and escalated to 40-50 a day, ranging from insults about Lauryn’s appearance to alarming threats against her relationship.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jeff is the author of Appalachian Fall (Simon & Schuster, 2020), which explored the decline of the coal industry and community-level responses to the energy transition.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
That genetic material contains an enormous amount of information within it, telling your body what proteins and enzymes to produce, how to configure them together, and where and when to activate a variety of responses.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The man replies with further context about her circumstances.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The third walk-off loss in seven days resulted in a similar scene, with Scott buried in his locker and still searching for answers.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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That’s all there is to it for today’s Quordle clues and answers.—
Kris Holt,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Smartphones and instant uploads mean graphic events can spread before any newsroom responds.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The crowd responds by trying to throw him off a cliff.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Europe staged one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history, winning eight matches and halving another to clinch the Cup by half a point.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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What stands out from these examples, and from many other cases, is the candor with which everyone spoke about their health crises, their treatment and their comebacks.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retorts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retorts. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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