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/pˈɛri/ Listen

noun

parry n. (pl. parries) A warding off of a thrust or blow, as in sword and bayonet exercises or in boxing; hence, figuratively, a defensive movement in debate or other intellectual encounter.

verb

Parry v. t. (past & past part. parried; pres. part. parrying)

To ward off; to stop, or to turn aside; as, to parry a thrust, a blow, or anything that means or threatens harm. "Vice parries wide The undreaded volley with a sword of straw."

To avoid; to shift or put off; to evade. "The French government has parried the payment of our claims."

parry v. i. To ward off, evade, or turn aside something, as a blow, argument, etc.

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Etymology of 'Parry'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Parry" Quotes from Famous Books

... its song in chapter fifteen.[20] These have been in the thickest of the fighting. The smoke of the battle has tanned their faces. They have struggled with the enemy at close range, hip and thigh, nip and tuck, close parry and hard thrust. And they have come off victors. The ring of triumph resounds in their voices, as to the sound of their own harps, harps of God, they add their tribute of ...

— Quiet Talks with World Winners • S. D. Gordon

... lost the battle of Dreux to the Duc de Guise; that of St. Denis to the Constable de Montmorency; and, finally, that of Jarnac, which was no less fatal to his party. He endured yet another reverse at Montcontour, in Poitou, but his courage remained unshaken; his skill was able to parry the attacks of fortune, and he appeared more redoubtable after his defeats than his enemies in the midst of their victories. Often wounded, but always impervious to fear, he remarked one day quietly to his friends, who wept as they saw his blood flow: 'Should not the profession ...

— The Buried Temple • Maurice Maeterlinck

... shake with laughter at the capers of the younger part of me. They are capers indeed. On these occasions she will carry on conversations with friends—real friends—fairly bristling with witticisms, and although taking both parts herself, the parry and ...

— Introduction to the Science of Sociology • Robert E. Park

... seemed to give me strength, and falling in upon him I broke my foil upon his breast. He, with a smile, had neglected to parry this attack, and I saw a thin stream of blood trickle down his shirt-front. Now I was overwhelmed with sorrow and repentance. Sir John and grandfather immediately ...

— Major Frank • A. L. G. Bosboom-Toussaint

... Ali became acquainted with these strong measures; which at first he endeavored to parry by artifice and bribery. But, finding that mode of proceeding absolutely without hope, he took the bold resolution of throwing himself, in utter defiance, upon the native energies of his own ferocious heart. Having, however, but small reliance on his ...

— Memorials and Other Papers • Thomas de Quincey

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