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
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Some restaurants only sell pho ga, a lighter riff using chicken, while others incorporate barbecue and other modern innovations to create distinctly Houstonian spins on the dish.
—Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
With a tight runtime and 10 freewheeling new songs, the band embraces the energy of its beloved live show throughout the new project, as the members jam out in the studio while riffing off of one another to make a collaborative, occasionally improvisational project.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
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Noun
The winding, heavy riff after the opera section, the one that would give the song one of its many second lives when Mike Myers and Dana Carvey headbanged to it in 1992’s Wayne’s World, was Mercury’s own invention.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Some restaurants only sell pho ga, a lighter riff using chicken, while others incorporate barbecue and other modern innovations to create distinctly Houstonian spins on the dish.
—Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
The two Jennifers belted side-by-side on Hudson’s daytime stage, trading verses and riffs along the way.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
With a tight runtime and 10 freewheeling new songs, the band embraces the energy of its beloved live show throughout the new project, as the members jam out in the studio while riffing off of one another to make a collaborative, occasionally improvisational project.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riff. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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