1
: an ostinato phrase (as in jazz) typically supporting a solo improvisation
also
: a piece based on such a phrase
2
: a rapid energetic often improvised verbal outpouring
especially
: one that is part of a comic performance
3
: a succinct usually witty comment
4
: a distinct variation : take
… a disturbing … riff on the Cinderella story.—
Daria Donnelly
Daria Donnelly
riffed; riffing; riffs
: to perform, deliver, or make use of a riff
Examples of riff in a Sentence
Noun
He stole that riff from another song.
a mock news program with humorous riffs on current events
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
When the riff drops in a Slipknot song.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Season 2’s courtship of Anthony and Kate (Simone Ashley) riffs on The Taming of the Shrew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riff
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Noun
The dish begins as a riff on a recipe most associated with Hat Yai, the largest city in southern Thailand.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
When the riff drops in a Slipknot song.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
Nina McConigley’s How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder grapples with these ideas, riffing on the idea of overthrow by narrowing the focus from national boundaries to familial ones.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Season 2’s courtship of Anthony and Kate (Simone Ashley) riffs on The Taming of the Shrew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riff
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riff. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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