Riposte vs. Repost

Photo of author

Grammarist

Riposte and repost are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are homophones. We will examine  the meanings of the words riposte and repost, where the words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Riposte means to quickly make a clever reply to a comment, or to perform an action that may be considered a quick reply to another action. Originally, riposte described a fencing move, and it still does. In fencing, a riposte is a quick thrusting motion that is made after parrying a lunge. The word riposte is derived from the Italian word risposta, which means a reply. Riposte was first used as a fencing term at the turn of the eighteenth century, by the mid-nineteenth century it took on its present figurative meaning.

Repost means to post something a second time, whether it is sending a letter, affixing a notice to a physical space or publishing text online. The word repost is formed by combining the prefix re– which means anew, again, back to the original place, and the word post taken from the Old French.

Examples

Under that pressure they delivered the perfect riposte, too, in front of a full house of 25,849, claiming a 27-20 win which also saw them through to the last four of the competition with a group game still to come, away to Saracens on Sunday. (The Leicestershire Mercury)

Mr Martin’s description of Sinn Féin as a “centrally controlled, undemocratic party” drew a predictably immediate and angry riposte from Gerry Adams, but sometimes his party really does make it too easy for its political opponents. (The Irish Independent)

Town Manager Jim Duggan has been forced to repost the job opening for the police chief position after an underwhelming response from applicants. (The Lowell Sun)

Enjoyed reading about these homophones? Check out some others we covered: