1. a person who makes quick, clever, or sharp replies
2. a closed vessel used for distillation or decomposition by heat
Usage: technical; chemistry

Examples

• She was known as a skilled retorter who could handle any verbal challenge.
• The quick-witted retorter silenced his critics with a clever comeback.
• The chemistry lab used a glass retorter to purify the liquid.
• The retorter heated the mixture to separate its components.
• As an experienced retorter in debates, he rarely lost an argument.
• The industrial retorter processed coal to extract useful chemicals.