MEANING
1. To deflect or ward off an incoming blow.
2. To answer or evade a verbal challenge without accepting its force.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- parry a thrust
- parry a blow
On the page
She parried the thrust and stepped aside.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- parry
- Past tense
- parried
- Past participle
- parried
- Present participle
- parrying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- parry
- Present continuous
- am/is/are parrying
- Present perfect
- have/has parried
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been parrying
- Past
- parried
- Past continuous
- was/were parrying
- Past perfect
- had parried
- Past perfect continuous
- had been parrying
- Future
- will parry
- Future continuous
- will be parrying
- Future perfect
- will have parried
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been parrying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: parry; parries; parried; parried; parrying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: parries.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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