riposte

noun

/rɪˈpɒst/

/rɪˈpəʊst/

(formal)

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a quick and clever reply, especially to criticism synonym retort
- a witty riposte
a course of action that takes place in response to something that has happened
- The US delivered an early riposte to the air attack.

Word Originearly 18th cent.: from French risposte (noun), risposter (verb), from Italian risposta ‘response’.

verb

/rɪˈpɒst/

/rɪˈpəʊst/

[transitive, intransitive] (formal)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they riposte	/rɪˈpɒst/ /rɪˈpəʊst/
he / she / it ripostes	/rɪˈpɒsts/ /rɪˈpəʊsts/
past simple riposted	/rɪˈpɒstɪd/ /rɪˈpəʊstɪd/
past participle riposted	/rɪˈpɒstɪd/ /rɪˈpəʊstɪd/
-ing form riposting	/rɪˈpɒstɪŋ/ /rɪˈpəʊstɪŋ/

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to make a quick and clever reply to somebody/something, especially to a criticism
- riposte + speech ‘You are as ill-informed as usual,’ she riposted.
- riposte that… At once he riposted that his country had no link with insurgents.
- riposte with something The MP riposted with some more, quite different, statistics.