riposte

See also: riposté

English

Alternative forms

• ripost

Etymology

From French riposte, taken from Italian risposta, a derivative of the verb rispondere (“to respond”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈpəʊst/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈpoʊst/

Noun

riposte (plural ripostes)

1. (fencing) A thrust given in return after parrying an attack.
2. (by extension) A counter-attack in any combat or any sport.
   • 2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Some context is required. Moldova were weak at the back and blunt up front, and have failed to score in six matches stretching back to last October, with only hints at English complacency offering them glimpses of summoning a riposte.

3. (figurative) A quick and usually witty response to a taunt.

   Synonym: retort

   • 1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 129–130:

     This face-saving reminds us of some American ripostes a few months back when their space rockets seemed disinclined to leave the earth very far behind; after all, they said, the Russians are only chucking heavy machinery at the moon, whereas we're trying to be more sophisticated and get a sewing-machine up there.

   • 2016 August 10, Heather Stewart, “Tom Watson sends Corbyn 'proof of Trotskyist Labour infiltration'”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     Watson’s letter was a riposte to the accusation made on Tuesday by Corbyn’s campaign that he was “peddling conspiracy theories” after he said in a Guardian interview that Labour was at risk from “Trotskyist entryists”.

4. An answer or reply, rapidly uttered, in response to a question or problem.

Translations

(fencing)

• Bulgarian: ответен удар m (otveten udar)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 還擊／还击 (waan⁴ gik¹)

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: vastapisto, riposti
• German: Riposte (de) f
• Greek: αντιξιφισμός (el) m (antixifismós)
• Polish: riposta (pl) f
• Portuguese: resposta (pt) f
• Russian: ответный (ru) (otvetnyj) уда́р (ru) m (udár)
• Swedish: ripost (sv) c

a quick and usually witty response to a taunt

• Bulgarian: остроумен отговор m (ostroumen otgovor)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: heitto (fi)
• Hungarian: visszavágás (hu)
• Russian: находчивый (ru) (naxodčivyj) отве́т (ru) m (otvét)
• Swedish: ripost (sv) c

an answer or reply, rapidly uttered

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: heitto (fi)
• Hungarian: visszavágás (hu)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: ripost (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} riposte (fr)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} riposta
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} riposta (it)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} respuesta (es)

Verb

riposte (third-person singular simple present ripostes, present participle riposting, simple past and past participle riposted)

1. (fencing) To attempt to hit an opponent after parrying an attack.
2. To respond quickly; particularly if the response is humorous.
   • 1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 204:

     I left him and went to a tavern by the quays where the college bucks were drinking and singing hymns. There was Giles who invited old men back to his college apartments for games. Members of the rowing club riposted, for God's sake, man, clean up your life.

Translations

fencing: to attempt to hit an opponent after parrying an attack

• Swedish: ripostera

to respond quickly; particularly if the response is humorous

• German: zurückschießen (de), zurückgeben (de)
• Portuguese: retorquir (pt)
• Swedish: ripostera

Anagrams

• ropiest, periost, Potiers, portise, periots, positer, porites, isopter, Prietos, reposit, Epirots, prostie

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian risposta, from the verb rispondere (“to respond”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁi.pɔst/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

riposte f (plural ripostes)

1. riposte (fencing; witty response; quick reply)

Derived terms

• riposter

Verb

riposte

1. inflection of riposter:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “riposte”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• postier, potiers

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riˈpo.ste/, /riˈpɔ.ste/
• Rhymes: -oste, -ɔste
• Hyphenation: ri‧pó‧ste, ri‧pò‧ste

Participle

riposte f pl

1. feminine plural of riposto

Adjective

riposte f pl

1. feminine plural of riposto

Anagrams

• esporti, estirpo, estirpò, petrosi, pistore, portesi, posteri, potersi, protesi, ripesto, ripestò, spietro, spietrò, stiperò, storpie

Portuguese

Verb

riposte

1. inflection of ripostar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

riposte

1. inflection of ripostar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative