as in to flip
to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner
Web research is convenient but doesn't offer the tactile pleasures of riffling through heavy old books
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Recent Examples of riffle
Amy Schulman, PEOPLE.com, 6 May 2022
Two Guns spread through madly riffling brush, the path crunching under my hiking boots going uphill.
—Chris Malloy, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 June 2020
Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
Beneath our breathy hollers, a river runs dark, sprays of pebble -leaping riffles instantly aloft: Corona crowns the south: Hole edged with brimming sprays of light!
—Christopher Cokinos, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Verb
Keep reading to check out more weekend deals, or head straight to Amazon to riffle through everything else that's on sale right now.
—Amy Schulman, PEOPLE.com, 6 May 2022
Two Guns spread through madly riffling brush, the path crunching under my hiking boots going uphill.
—Chris Malloy, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 June 2020
Noun
Why: Rainbows spawn in the spring as soon as the water temperature breaks 40 degrees, often making redds in the riffles above pools.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
Beneath our breathy hollers, a river runs dark, sprays of pebble -leaping riffles instantly aloft: Corona crowns the south: Hole edged with brimming sprays of light!
—Christopher Cokinos, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffle
Verb
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Once finished, flip through the book to see the character move.—
Sherri Gordon, CLC,
Parents,
25 Apr. 2025
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In Quebec, the Liberals are forecast to flip 11 seats from the Bloc Québécois, while the Conservatives are only expected to win one.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Its wavelets lap enticingly at our feet, but the breaker that might truly knock the breath out of us never comes.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
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For example, complex analysis is used to manipulate wavelets, or small oscillations in data.—
William Ross,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This is because of the increasing demands for networking and switches to connect exponentially larger clusters, from spine to leaf in the front end and back end, rack to rack and accelerator to accelerator.—
Beth Kindig,
Forbes,
19 Dec. 2024
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Such a cacophony means that the reader keeps having to leaf back to make sense of the storyline.—
Ruth Margalit,
The New York Review of Books,
30 Mar. 2023
Noun
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Jackson's long hair was styled in soft curls by J Miles Salon.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Spring is here, which means hydration and moisture is the biggest trend, from sopping wet curls to sleek chignons and water waves.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Navratilova on Thursday posed a question to Democrats as some states have continued to thumb their nose at President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep males out of girls’ and women’s sports.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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While nearly every country has announced retaliatory tariffs, nations, businesses and their citizens are increasingly willing to thumb their noses in ways that go beyond extra costs slapped on at ports, touching all levels of commerce.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In general, contrast therapy can involve anything from a stint in an infrared sauna followed by a cold plunge to a warm oil face massage followed by an ice roller.—
Irene Coltrinari,
Vogue,
18 Apr. 2025
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Instead, your bike rests on the rollers, requiring you to balance manually.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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All this is to say that the longest in the world may have actually taken place in the woods, where more skiers than ever are now skimming the backcountry meltwater all spring long—just like the Slush Cup pioneers, Cyril Paris and Cliff White.—
Anna Fiorentino,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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The Carters likewise only skims the surface of Aaron and Nick’s dynamic, as well as Nick’s relationship with the rest of his siblings.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Time,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the scope was one of the many tiny fish bones that were found that day, probably belonging to a small comber or a wrasse.—
Paul Greenberg,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
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The destructive combers continued to undermine dwellings near the water’s edge at West Newport Beach.—
Scott Harrison,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffle. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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