parry
/ˈpɛri/
noun
- An act of deflecting or warding off an attack, especially in fencing.
- The fencer's parry was so fast the audience barely saw it.
- A good parry can set up a perfect counterattack.
- He made a quick parry to block the thrust.
- A skillful avoidance of a question or criticism.
- Her response was a clever parry that left everyone laughing.
- He used humor as a parry to avoid giving a direct answer.
- The reporter's question was met with a smooth parry.
verb
- To deflect or ward off a weapon or attack, especially in fencing or combat.
- He raised his sword to parry the incoming blow.
- The fencer quickly parried her opponent's lunge.
- In self-defense class, we practiced how to parry a punch.
- To avoid or deflect a question, criticism, or difficult situation skillfully.
- The politician parried every question about the scandal.
- When asked about his plans, he parried by changing the subject.
- She parried his criticism with a clever joke.