riffle

1 of 2

verb

rif·​fle ˈri-fəl How to pronounce riffle (audio)
riffled; riffling ˈri-f(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce riffle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to form, flow over, or move in riffles
2
: to flip cursorily : thumb
riffle through the catalog

transitive verb

1
: to ruffle slightly : ripple
2
a
: to leaf through hastily
specifically : to leaf by sliding a thumb along the edge of the leaves
riffle a stack of paper
b
: to shuffle (playing cards) by separating the deck into two parts and riffling with the thumbs so the cards intermix
3
: to manipulate (small objects) idly between the fingers

riffle

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a shallow extending across a streambed and causing broken water
b
: a stretch of water flowing over a riffle
2
: a small wave or succession of small waves : ripple
3
a
: any of various contrivances (such as blocks or rails) laid on the bottom of a sluice or launder to make a series of grooves or interstices to catch and retain a mineral (such as gold)
b
: a groove or interstice so formed
4
: a cleat or bar fastened to an inclined surface in a gold-washing apparatus to catch and hold mineral grains
5
[riffle entry 1]
a
: the act or process of shuffling something (such as a deck of cards)
b
: the sound made while doing this

Examples of riffle in a Sentence

Verb He riffled the pages of the magazine. Web research is convenient but doesn't offer the tactile pleasures of riffling through heavy old books.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Highlight reels of 13 SEC quarterbacks Milton was the talk of the offseason after riffling passes longer than 70 yards at the Manning Passing Academy in June. Stefan Krajisnik, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023 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 To simulate clapping, kids could be hired to ride their bikes around the cart paths, with playing cards clipped to the bike frames to riffle in the spokes. Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 16 May 2020 The Watergate hearings, which stretched into 1974, played like Shakespeare spliced with courtroom drama: riffling papers, conspirators, men in the wings and the penetrating southern drawl of Sen. Sam Ervin, which reverberated with moral urgency. Jeffrey Fleishman, chicagotribune.com, 4 Oct. 2019 Justin Herbert with a ton of time, riffles a 28-yard laser to Johnny Johnson III for a touchdown. oregonlive, 30 Nov. 2019
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 Eddies, riffles, and runs. Gerald Almy, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023 Here the river is 40-feet wide and forms a riffle and run that drops to about 4 feet in depth. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2023 Weirs and riffle pools would be part of the project. Mike Jones, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2022 Benson’s friend, river guide Pete Lefebvre, pointed to a muddy riffle upstream of the ramp, near where the Dirty Devil River meets the Colorado, fresh evidence of a fast-changing landscape. AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Online and at gun shows his company sells a range of gear from ballistic helmets to concealable armor to military-style vests that are able to take several hits from riffle rounds. Nathan Luna, ABC News, 17 June 2022 The riffle beetle lives in the water but can’t swim, and has wings but can’t fly. Annie Blanks, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riffle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

perhaps alteration of ruffle

First Known Use

Verb

1754, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of riffle was in 1754

Dictionary Entries Near riffle

Cite this Entry

“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riffle. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

riffle

1 of 2 verb
rif·​fle ˈrif-əl How to pronounce riffle (audio)
riffled; riffling ˈrif-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce riffle (audio)
1
: to form, flow over, or move in riffles
2
: to ruffle slightly : ripple
3
a
: to flip or leaf through in a hurry
b
: to shuffle playing cards by separating the deck into two parts and sliding the thumbs along the edges so that the cards are mixed

riffle

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a shallow extending across a stream bed and causing broken water
b
: a stretch of water flowing over a riffle
2
: a small wave or succession of small waves : ripple
3
: the act or process of shuffling (as cards)

More from Merriam-Webster on riffle

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!