parry

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: par=ry

CIDE DICTIONARY

parry, v. t. [F. paré, p. p. of parer. See Pare, v. t.].

•  To ward off; to stop, or to turn aside; as, to parry a thrust, a blow, or anything that means or threatens harm.  Locke.  [1913 Webster]

  "Vice parries wide
  The undreaded volley with a sword of straw."  [1913 Webster]
•  To avoid; to shift or put off; to evade.  [1913 Webster]

  "The French government has parried the payment of our claims."  [1913 Webster]

parry, v. i. 

 To ward off, evade, or turn aside something, as a blow, argument, etc.  Locke.  [1913 Webster]

parry, n. 

 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.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

parry, v. & n.
--v.tr. (-ies, -ied)
1 avert or ward off (a weapon or attack), esp. with a countermove.
2 deal skilfully with (an awkward question etc.).
--n. (pl. -ies) an act of parrying.

Etymology

prob. repr. F parez imper. of parer f. It. parare ward off

THESAURUS

parry

about the bush, answer, answer conclusively, argue down, around the bush, back and fill, beat about, beat around, beat off, beg the question, bicker, block, boggle, cavil, check, choplogic, confound, confute, contradict, controvert, counter, crush, defeat, demolish, deny, dismiss, dispose of, dodge, drive back, duck, equivocate, evade, evade the issue, fence, fend, fend off, finish, floor, hedge, hem and haw, hinder, hold at bay, hold off, hum and haw, keep at bay, keep off, mince the truth, mince words, mystify, nitpick, nonplus, obscure, obstruct, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, palter, pick nits, prevaricate, pull away, pull back, push back, pussyfoot, put back, put off, put to silence, quibble, rebuff, rebut, recoil, reduce to silence, refute, repel, repulse, settle, sheer off, shift, shift off, shrink, shuffle, shut up, shy, shy away, shy off, sidestep, silence, smash all opposition, split hairs, squash, squelch, stave off, step aside, stop, subvert, swerve, tergiversate, turn aside, undermine, upset, waffle, ward off, weasel

ROGET THESAURUS

parry

Avoidance

VB abstain, refrain, spare, not attempt, not do, maintain the even tenor of one's way, eschew, keep from, let alone, have nothing to do with, keep aloof keep off, stand aloof, stand off, hold aloof, hold off, take no part in, have no hand in, avoid, shun, steer clear of, keep clear of, fight shy of, keep one's distance, keep at a respectful distance, keep out of the way, get out of the way, evade, elude, turn away from, set one's face against, deny oneself, shrink back, hang back, hold back, draw back, recoil, retire, flinch, blink, blench, shy, shirk, dodge, parry, make way for, give place to, beat a retreat, turn tail, turn one's back, take to one's heels, runaway, run for one's life, cut and run, be off like a shot, fly, flee, fly away, flee away, run away from, take flight, take to flight, desert, elope, make off, scamper off, sneak off, shuffle off, sheer off, break away, tear oneself away, slip away, slink away, steel away, make away from, scamper away from, sneak away from, shuffle away from, sheer away from, slip cable, part company, turn one's heel, sneak out of, play truant, give one the go by, give leg bail, take French leave, slope, decamp, flit, bolt, abscond, levant, skedaddle, absquatulat, cut one's stick, walk one's chalks, show a light pair of heels, make oneself scarce, escape, go away, abandon, reject, lead one a dance, lead one a pretty dance, throw off the scent, play at hide and seek, Adj, unsought, unattempted, avoiding, neutral, shy of, elusive, evasive, fugitive, runaway, shy, wild.

Defense

VB defend, forfend, fend, shield, screen, shroud, engarrison, fend round, fence, entrench, intrench, guard, guard against, take care of, bear harmless, fend off, keep off, ward off, beat off, beat back, hinder, parry, repel, propugn, put to flight, give a warm reception to, hold at bay, keep at bay, keep arm's length, stand on the defensive, act on the defensive, show fight, maintain one's ground, stand one's ground, stand by, hold one's own, bear the brunt, stand the brunt, fall back upon, hold, stand in the gap.

Confutation

VB confute, refute, disprove, parry, negative, controvert, rebut, confound, disconfirm, redargue, expose, show the fallacy of, defeat, demolish, break, overthrow, overturn scatter to the winds, explode, invalidate, silence, put to silence, reduce to silence, clinch an argument, clinch a question, give one a setdown, stop the mouth, shut up, have, have on the hip, not leave a leg to stand on, cut the ground from under one's feet, be confuted, fail, expose one's weak point, show one's weak point, counter evidence.