retort

“Well, you sound pretty unhappy yourself, miss,” he retorted, and went on with his ringing.

“As their governess, the only ability of theirs that concerns me is their ability to make accurate use of the apostrophe,” she retorted.

“You know who I am, but who are you?” this coaxing stranger offers, which is like a playground retort twisted to sound pseudo-philosophical.

Economists retort that the half-century-old trade deficit, or the gradual slide in the share of U.S. employment in manufacturing over many decades, doesn’t constitute a national emergency.

Mamdani's retort is that he's more like a Scandinavian politician, only browner.