How to Use retort in a Sentence

retort

1 of 2 verb
  • Boro’s fanbase will retort that there has been more than one of those lately.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Farmer retorted that Pearson has not been around to do work this year.
    — Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
  • As Saints retorted, Williams hit him with a backhand slap.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
  • Petersen retorted that plenty of time has passed since the beating.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Olga retorts that his bird’s-eye analysis is a clever way of doing nothing.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
  • But some of those artists retort that consumerism has sucked the essential creativity out of art.
    — Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2020
  • Defenders might retort that such rules, even when vague or overly permissive, are better than none at all.
    — Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2020
  • Haley retorted, before abruptly moving on to the next question.
    — Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2023
  • Noem retorted after Thompson raised the issue.
    — Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Andre retorted with mock indignation to a laugh from the audience.
    — Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Others retorted to this sentiment saying the park doesn’t tout itself as a nature haven and more as an urban town square for people to gather.
    — Dallas News, 1 Mar. 2023
  • During the hearing, Young loudly retorted as Perry’s niece left the witness stand.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Opponents retort that kids who aren’t Christian could feel alienated in public classrooms.
    — Talia Richman, Dallas News, 12 May 2023
  • Alito retorted to laughter from the courtroom.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Wait for a second, businesses will retort, this is someone that by design wanted to come to the company for purposes of starting a union foothold.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022
  • Johnson’s spokesperson retorted Wednesday that aldermen were crying foul over a practice that’s been required for over two years.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Education experts and those opposed to the bills retort that critical race theory isn’t taught in Texas schools anyway.
    — Edward McKinley, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2021
  • In theory, Thune has an open-door policy and frequently retorts that Schumer has his cellphone number or can make the short walk to his office.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Morgan retorted several of his statements.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Republican lawmakers have retorted that their colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to gain a partisan advantage.
    — Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 7 Dec. 2023
  • Prosecutors retorted by pointing out Hughes was also hired before by members of the defense.
    — Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 21 May 2025
  • The pessimists retort that structural changes—an aging population, slow growth of the workforce, barriers on trade, among others—will put upward pressure on prices for the long haul.
    — William A. Galston, WSJ, 18 May 2021
  • Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill jokingly retorted on Wednesday.
    — Scott Powers, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Icahn wanted his men on the board to force the company to back out of the merger, which Illumina retorted was legally impossible.
    — Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 27 July 2023
  • Del Conte even retorted that flag football has a better chance at joining the UT athletic department than men's soccer.
    — Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Nothing dramatizes the human comedy with more precision than the sound of a happily narrow mind retorting to the wider environment.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • Brown retorted that a drive-by shooting wouldn’t necessarily have DNA evidence.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2025
  • Cirque managers, however, retort that an old guard of artists never fully adapted to the business realities of a sprawling entertainment company.
    — New York Times, 9 May 2021
  • Jenna retorted before attempting to drop the subject altogether.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Smaller groups of five, 40 or a little under a hundred people gather routinely with posters, chants and, sometimes, retorts for passing motorists who support the president.
    — Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025

retort

2 of 2 noun
  • The retort is funny, ouchy, apt — and sounds like earned wisdom.
    — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 11 Nov. 2021
  • Bruins fans didn’t have much of a retort, either.
    — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • This prompted a retort from Williams.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 4 May 2026
  • Strange to say, her mother’s retort comforts her.
    — Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
  • What is a good retort for those who ask about my family status?
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • My retort is your grumpiness about consuming less beef and more beets is short lived.
    — Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022
  • Rob-Will's bloody-mouthed Rip retort was just as classic.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 19 June 2026
  • But businesses are hoping for more than just retorts.
    — Satviki Sanjay Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2025
  • My comment to that effect drew a sharp retort from my translator.
    — Lisa Kristine, CNN, 3 July 2021
  • The room is strewn with glittering retorts, cylinders, phials.
    — Meredi Ortega, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Their six 3-pointers combined were a retort to Creighton’s daring them to shoot.
    — New York Times, 28 Mar. 2021
  • That’s my retort to anyone who ever says a degree in art history is useless.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Aha, some retort, all of this might lead to a reduction in conflicts by a semblance of mutual.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2022
  • Resist the urge to criticize someone or make a fast retort that will spark arguments.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Kayshon Boutte offered a headline-worthy retort.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Aha, some retort, all of this might lead to a reduction in conflicts by a semblance of mutually.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 July 2022
  • Moreno made noises into the microphone and offered a retort while his team blared music through a boombox.
    — Manouk Akopyan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2022
  • Lasso’s retort to all likely would be to simply offer a smile and his trademark homemade biscuit.
    — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2021
  • The retort landed him on local television.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The hearing also lacked contentious partisan moments, but there were some sharp retorts.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Perhaps every savage retort is really a reflection of our need to be uncaged?
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2020
  • Their best trick is a kind of prosperity gospel, a towering retort to the naïve bleeding hearts shouting up at them from the ground floor.
    — Michael Friedrich, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
  • The Moon is at odds with three planets, which can trigger arguments, snide remarks and even cruel retorts.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Friends and acquaintances say that sort of congenial, yet quick retort is vintage Reinhart.
    — Arden Farhi, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2022
  • In other words, a defiant retort to stereotypes about Appalachia.
    — Mark Athitakis, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2022
  • Against this backdrop, Schuyler’s push to include Lazarus’ poem on the statue was a retort to nativism.
    — Elizabeth Stone, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 May 2023
  • In a press conference for the film back in 2012, Craig was asked if Bond's retort was meant as a bluff.
    — Jolie Lash, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2021
  • Whoa, the retort goes, this was just a toddler, perhaps around no older than 3 years old (per the estimate of the heroic driver).
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021
  • For decades, these final two questions have served as the ultimate retort for Americans who refuse to look backward for progress.
    — Nick Martin, The New Republic, 7 May 2021
  • Complaints about overcrowded prisons in the past have often triggered a quick retort that prisons were never meant to be resorts.
    — Champ Lyons Jr., al, 18 June 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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