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
Synonyms
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
Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
McCartney cajoled solos out of everyone, pointing at the others on stage at random and occasionally getting the nod himself to rip a few riffs.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
The Trump campaign attempted to riff on the song selection earlier this year by using it in one of their videos, prompting the music superstar's record label and music publisher to send a cease-and-desist to the campaign.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for riff 
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Noun
The title that Moss has chosen for her memoir riffs on a poem that May Swenson published in 1978.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
McCartney cajoled solos out of everyone, pointing at the others on stage at random and occasionally getting the nod himself to rip a few riffs.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
Verb
Photo: Valerie Terranova Berryman’s conversation with Tennessee Williams exists in the penumbra of her play, but at the Bushwick Starr’s recently opened new space (for which, hip, hip hooray!), the playwright Julia May Jonas is riffing more directly on Arthur Miller.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
The Trump campaign attempted to riff on the song selection earlier this year by using it in one of their videos, prompting the music superstar's record label and music publisher to send a cease-and-desist to the campaign.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for riff
Dictionary Entries Near riff
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riff. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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