parry

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

par·ry

(păr′ē)

v. par·ried, par·ry·ing, par·ries

v.tr.

1. To deflect or ward off (a fencing thrust, for example).

2. To deflect, evade, or avoid: He skillfully parried the question with a clever reply.

v.intr.

To deflect or ward off a thrust or blow.

n. pl. par·ries

1. The deflecting or warding off of a thrust or blow, as in fencing.

2. An evasive answer or action.

[Probably from French parez, imperative of parer, to defend, from Italian parare, from Latin parāre, to prepare; see perə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

parry

(ˈpærɪ)

vb, -ries, -rying or -ried

1. (Fencing) to ward off (an attack) by blocking or deflecting, as in fencing

2. (tr) to evade (questions), esp adroitly

n, pl -ries

3. (Fencing) an act of parrying, esp (in fencing) using a stroke or circular motion of the blade

4. a skilful evasion, as of a question

[C17: from French parer to ward off, from Latin parāre to prepare]

Parry

(ˈpærɪ)

1. (Biography) Sir (Charles) Hubert (Hastings). 1848–1918, English composer, noted esp for his choral works

2. (Biography) Sir William Edward. 1790–1855, English arctic explorer, who searched for the Northwest Passage (1819–25) and attempted to reach the North Pole (1827)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

par•ry

(ˈpær i)

v. -ried, -ry•ing, v.t.

1. to ward off (a sword thrust, blow, weapon, etc.).

2. to turn aside; dodge: to parry an embarrassing question.

v.i.

3. to parry a thrust, blow, etc.

4. an act or instance of parrying.

[1665–75; < French parez, imperative of parer to ward off, set off < Latin parāre to set. See parade]

par′ri•er, n.

Par•ry

(ˈpær i)

n.

William Edward, 1790–1855, English arctic explorer.

parry

Past participle: parried
Gerund: parrying

Imperative
parry
parry

Present
I parry
you parry
he/she/it parries
we parry
you parry
they parry

Preterite
I parried
you parried
he/she/it parried
we parried
you parried
they parried

Present Continuous
I am parrying
you are parrying
he/she/it is parrying
we are parrying
you are parrying
they are parrying

Present Perfect
I have parried
you have parried
he/she/it has parried
we have parried
you have parried
they have parried

Past Continuous
I was parrying
you were parrying
he/she/it was parrying
we were parrying
you were parrying
they were parrying

Past Perfect
I had parried
you had parried
he/she/it had parried
we had parried
you had parried
they had parried

Future
I will parry
you will parry
he/she/it will parry
we will parry
you will parry
they will parry

Future Perfect
I will have parried
you will have parried
he/she/it will have parried
we will have parried
you will have parried
they will have parried

Future Continuous
I will be parrying
you will be parrying
he/she/it will be parrying
we will be parrying
you will be parrying
they will be parrying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been parrying
you have been parrying
he/she/it has been parrying
we have been parrying
you have been parrying
they have been parrying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been parrying
you will have been parrying
he/she/it will have been parrying
we will have been parrying
you will have been parrying
they will have been parrying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been parrying
you had been parrying
he/she/it had been parrying
we had been parrying
you had been parrying
they had been parrying

Conditional
I would parry
you would parry
he/she/it would parry
we would parry
you would parry
they would parry

Past Conditional
I would have parried
you would have parried
he/she/it would have parried
we would have parried
you would have parried
they would have parried

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	parry - (fencing) blocking a lunge or deflecting it with a circular motion of the sword blocking, block - the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements fencing - the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)
	2.	parry - a return punch (especially by a boxer) counterpunch, counter biff, punch, lick, clout, poke, slug - (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose"
Verb	1.	parry - impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball); "block an attack" deflect, block fence - fight with fencing swords
	2.	parry - avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); "He dodged the issue"; "she skirted the problem"; "They tend to evade their responsibilities"; "he evaded the questions skillfully" evade, hedge, sidestep, skirt, fudge, circumvent, dodge, elude, duck, put off beg - dodge, avoid answering, or take for granted; "beg the question"; "beg the point in the discussion" quibble - evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her"

parry

verb

1. evade, avoid, fence off, dodge, duck (informal), shun, sidestep, circumvent, fight shy of He parried questions about his involvement in the affair.

2. ward off, block, deflect, repel, rebuff, fend off, stave off, repulse, hold at bay My opponent parried every blow I got close enough to attempt.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

parry

verb

To turn or drive away:

beat off, fend (off), keep off, repel, repulse, ward off.

Translations

torjunta

parer

parata schivare

finteparering

parry

[ˈpærɪ] VT (Fencing) → parar; [+ blow] → parar, desviar; [+ attack] → rechazar, defenderse de (fig) → esquivar, eludir

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

parry

[ˈpæri] vt

[+ blow] → parer

[+ argument, question] → parer à

parry

n (Fencing, fig) → Parade f; (Boxing) → Abwehr f

vt (Fencing, fig) → parieren; (Boxing) blow → abwehren; ball, shot → abwehren

vi (Fencing) → parieren; (Boxing, Ftbl) → abwehren

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

parry

[ˈpærɪ] vt (blow) → parare (fig) (question) → eludere

References in classic literature ?

"Parry," cried the gentleman, "I beg you will; you come from England -- you come so far.

"Parry, I conjure you to tell me nothing; for if your news had been good, you would not have begun in such a manner; you go about, which proves that the news is bad."

View in context

Parry knew this room, as he had often been to see me when the king was at Newcastle.

The matter was arranged as D'Artagnan had suggested, and when he returned he found the king already seated at his little table, where Parry waited on him, Harrison and his officers sitting together at another table, and, in a corner, places reserved for himself and his companions.

View in context

"And there's another fellow - Parry - an Australian, a statistician and a sporting encyclopaedia.

They hailed Brissenden and his demijohns with acclamation, and, on being introduced, Martin learned they were Andy and Parry. He joined them and listened attentively to the description of a prize-fight Parry had seen the night before; while Brissenden, in his glory, plunged into the manufacture of a toddy and the serving of wine and whiskey-and-sodas.

View in context

Parry's drawing-room, though thousands of miles away, behind a vast curve of water on a tiny piece of earth, came before their eyes.

View in context

During the years he had served as master of fence at the English Court the sons of royalty had learned to thrust and parry and cut as only De Vac could teach the art; and he had been as conscientious in the discharge of his duties as he had been in his unswerving hatred and contempt for his pupils.

View in context

When they would thrust at, or parry, the noses of his champing horses, making them swing their heads and move their feet, disturbing a solid dreamy repose, he swore at the men as fools, for he himself could perceive that Providence had caused it clearly to be written, that he and his team had the unalienable right to stand in the proper path of the sun chariot, and if they so minded, obstruct its mission or take a wheel off.

View in context

We circled for some time without doing much damage on either side; the long, straight, needle-like swords flashing in the sunlight, and ringing out upon the stillness as they crashed together with each effective parry. Finally Zad, realizing that he was tiring more than I, evidently decided to close in and end the battle in a final blaze of glory for himself; just as he rushed me a blinding flash of light struck full in my eyes, so that I could not see his approach and could only leap blindly to one side in an effort to escape the mighty blade that it seemed I could already feel in my vitals.

We rushed each other furiously time after time, 'til suddenly, feeling the sharp point of his sword at my breast in a thrust I could neither parry nor escape, I threw myself upon him with outstretched sword and with all the weight of my body, determined that I would not die alone if I could prevent it.

View in context

There was a moment in which the swords moved with a rapidity that no man's eye might follow, and then the Black Odwar made a lightning parry of a vicious thrust, leaned quickly forward into the opening he had effected, and drove his sword through the heart of the Orange Odwar--to the hilt he drove it through the body of the Orange Odwar.