- 1a quick, angry or humorous reply synonym rejoinder, riposte She bit back (= stopped herself from making) a sharp retort. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivequick, sharp, clever, … verb + retortcome up with, make, bite back, … See full entry
- 2a closed bottle with a long narrow bent spout that is used in a laboratory for heating chemicals Word Originnoun sense 1 late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘hurl back an accusation or insult’): from Latin retort- ‘twisted back, cast back’, from the verb retorquere, from re- ‘in return’ + torquere ‘to twist’. noun sense 2 early 17th cent.: from French retorte, from medieval Latin retorta, feminine past participle of retorquere ‘twist back’ (with reference to the long recurved neck of the laboratory container).Extra examples He opened his mouth to make a caustic retort. He was stung into an angry retort. Her remark drew angry retorts from the unemployed workers.
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