as in interpretation
a distinct treatment of something (as a story or a play)
a mock news program with humorous riffs on current events
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riff
His movies are goofs, larks, stunts, knowingly arch bizarro-world riffs.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
The two, particularly Lennon, riff on love, their relationship, creativity, life after the Beatles, raising their toddler son, writing songs in bed and much more.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
After the 1990 death of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament started putting together a new band and recording Gossard’s latest riffs in Seattle.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 15 May 2026
This riff on chicken and rice not only comes together in one pan, but makes good use of leftover potlikker and greens.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for riff
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
The two, particularly Lennon, riff on love, their relationship, creativity, life after the Beatles, raising their toddler son, writing songs in bed and much more.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
After the 1990 death of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament started putting together a new band and recording Gossard’s latest riffs in Seattle.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 15 May 2026
This riff on chicken and rice not only comes together in one pan, but makes good use of leftover potlikker and greens.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for riff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riff
Noun
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Sometimes, however, the generator would land on a truly poetic interpretation.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
19 May 2026
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The second layer is interpretation.—
Wyles Daniel
May 19,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Jean-Claude Manuguerra, who heads Pasteur's Environment and Infectious Risk unit, said the remaining variation appeared to reflect natural viral variation and did not seem to affect the characteristics of the virus detected among travelers.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Thousands of other farmers perch in variations of these treehouses, which dot the landscape of central Sri Lanka.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Summer is belt bag season, and this vibrant pink version instantly brightens any warm-weather outfit.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
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Like the women’s version, the Men’s Rincon 4 is very lightweight and cushioned with springy foam that delivers a ton of rebound.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riff. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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