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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Recent Examples of riff
The late icon strapped himself into his guitar while throttling songs in Shellac and Big Black, changing how menacing a punk riff could sound.
—
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025
The team behind Mirate in Los Feliz has followed up with this lively Sherman Oaks riff on Mexico’s Norteño cantinas, which originated the margarita.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Balmain clearly knows this and even added a riff on the fad by adding a slightly inverted wedge heel to totally transform the silhouette.
—María Diez, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
This is where the Greenpoint comes from, an excellent neo-classic riff on a Manhattan that was invented at Milk & Honey in New York, and comprises the classic build of Manhattan—rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters—into which has been spliced the inimitable French herbal liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025
The team behind Mirate in Los Feliz has followed up with this lively Sherman Oaks riff on Mexico’s Norteño cantinas, which originated the margarita.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Balmain clearly knows this and even added a riff on the fad by adding a slightly inverted wedge heel to totally transform the silhouette.
—María Diez, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
This is where the Greenpoint comes from, an excellent neo-classic riff on a Manhattan that was invented at Milk & Honey in New York, and comprises the classic build of Manhattan—rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters—into which has been spliced the inimitable French herbal liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riff
Noun
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Two unanimous high court decisions from 2012 encapsulate the Obama-era overreach of statutory interpretation.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Nov. 2025
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Without an international framework, commercial ventures must navigate a patchwork of national laws and evolving interpretations of space ownership.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Days spent perusing brocantes and bakeries turned into long dinners involving a hundred variations on the potato and late-night glasses of wine on the sidewalks of Pigalle.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
11 Nov. 2025
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So much is happening and with so much variation, too.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Elsewhere in the sale, a Cartier Baignoire sold for four times its estimate, at $283,921, in a world record for a regular-size version of the model.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
11 Nov. 2025
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The 2026 model will be available in an all-electric flavor for the first time, in addition to the existing diesel hybrid powertrain version that was introduced earlier this year.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riff. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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