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riposte Definition

ri·poste (ri pōst)

noun

  1. Fencing a sharp, swift thrust made after parrying an opponent's lunge
  2. a sharp, swift response or retort

Etymology: Fr riposte < It risposta < rispondere < L respondere: see respond

intransitive verb -·posted, -·post·ing

to make a riposte

riposte Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • have: And he had no riposte to the Iranian missiles raining down on Baghdad.
  • give: Learning as punishment Paul McKelvie, Director of ScottishPower Learning, gave a sobering riposte.
  • come: Then comes the inevitable riposte: " Why are they changing them?

Adjective modifier

  • witty: There's a witty riposte ready for any occasion: he or she can effortlessly cause a ripple of laughter.
  • perfect: It was the perfect riposte to the early threat from the Turkish club.
  • obvious: One obvious riposte to the question " Why did you steal my robe?
  • immediate: The maligned Liberal Democrat leader issued an immediate riposte from the floor of his rocking constituency office in downtown Inverness.
  • quick: Using Word to create and edit web pages: a quick guide The quick riposte would be: don't.. .
  • good: A good riposte will be appreciated by the House, who will have forgotten what the original question was.

Browse dictionary entries near riposte

  1. ripeness doctrine
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  3. RIPE NCC
  4. RIPE MessageDigest
  5. ripe for judgment
  6. ripe
  7. riparian
  8. Rip van Winkle
  9. rip-roaring
  10. rip-off
  1. ripped
  2. ripper
  3. ripping
  4. ripple
  5. ripple effect
  6. ripple mark
  7. ripplet
  8. ripply
  9. riprap
  10. ripsaw