retorts
retorts — verb
- retortspresent simple I / you / we / they
- retortses3rd person singular
- retortsing-ing form
- retortsedpast simple
1. to respond to someone's question or comment immediately and with annoyance, ofte
to respond to someone's question or comment immediately and with annoyance, often in a way that is sharp or meant to be amusing
When Rachid's boss called him lazy, he retorted, 'I finished three reports before lunch.'
retort + direct speech for quoting a sharp reply
Astrid retorted that the plan was completely unrealistic and would never work.
retort + that-clause for stating what was said
'You have no idea what you mean,' Adina retorted, her cheeks red with anger.
The politician retorted sharply when a journalist questioned her honesty.
Selim retorted to every criticism with a clever joke that made everyone laugh.
- ask
retort is a response; ask initiates a question
文法句型
retort + direct speech
retort that + clause
retort + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Commonly used in narrative writing to describe a character's reply. The verb usually introduces or follows quoted speech. Frequently appears with adverbs like 'sharply', 'angrily', or 'quickly'.
常見錯誤
retorts — noun
- retortssingular
- retortsesplural
1. a short, sharp answer made in reaction to someone's remark, often expressing ann
a short, sharp answer made in reaction to someone's remark, often expressing annoyance or wit
Sahil's retort was so clever that even the people he argued with had to smile.
possessive + retort — showing who made the reply
Olivia wanted to make a sharp retort but decided to stay silent instead.
make + a retort — common verb collocation
The debate ended with a perfect retort that left the whole audience laughing.
Mei-Lin's retort to her question was so quick that she had no time to respond.
In a heated argument, a well-timed retort can sometimes silence your opponent completely.
- question
a retort answers; a question asks
文法句型
make + a retort
a retort + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Distinguish from the verb 'retorts' (3rd person singular): the noun refers to the remark itself, while the verb describes the action of making it.
常見錯誤
2. a large metal container used in industry for heating substances to extreme tempe
a large metal container used in industry for heating substances to extreme temperatures so that they break down into other materials
A new retort at the steel factory can heat iron ore past a thousand degrees.
collocation: steel retort / heat ore in a retort
Workers at the chemical plant carefully loaded the raw materials into the large retort.
Each retort on the factory floor can hold five hundred kilograms of petroleum material.
The broken retort was replaced by a newer model that uses less energy.
用法筆記
This sense is technical and domain-specific, most often encountered in manufacturing, metallurgy, and chemical engineering contexts. Do not confuse with the glass laboratory retort (sense 3).
3. in chemistry, a glass vessel whose narrow opening curves downward, used for heat
in chemistry, a glass vessel whose narrow opening curves downward, used for heating substances and gathering the vapour that is given off
The chemistry student set up a glass retort on the laboratory table for the distillation.
collocation: glass retort — distinguishes from industrial metal retort
Dewi heated the liquid in the retort until it began to boil and vaporize.
Padma carefully cleaned the retort's long neck before starting the next experiment.
The old laboratory still has a collection of glass retorts in its storage cabinets.
- distillation flask
modern equivalent with similar function
- flask
general term; a retort is a specific type of flask
用法筆記
The glass retort is a traditional piece of laboratory equipment. In modern labs it has largely been replaced by more advanced distillation apparatus, but it is still found in teaching laboratories and historical collections.