as in interpretation
a distinct treatment of something (as a story or a play)
a mock news program with humorous riffs on current events
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riff
Later artists from Prince to the Black Eyed Peas drew from his innovations, and countless hip-hop artists sampled his riffs.
—
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
She’s taken her most unexpected pivot yet on this epic kiss-off from Portrait of My Heart, with visceral riffs and overdriven melodies evoking the high-wire emo theatrics that infiltrated MTV during the 33-year-old’s own teenage years.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 7 June 2025
Jimmy Kimmel joined in on the late-night host riff session tackling Elon Musk and President Trump’s escalating feud, which has seen the tech billionaire leave the administration and allege that the commander-in-chief is named in U.S. government documents about Jeffrey Epstein.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 June 2025
But his riff on American competitiveness, and the need for more smart immigrants, became infamous on the nationalist right.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
She’s taken her most unexpected pivot yet on this epic kiss-off from Portrait of My Heart, with visceral riffs and overdriven melodies evoking the high-wire emo theatrics that infiltrated MTV during the 33-year-old’s own teenage years.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 7 June 2025
Jimmy Kimmel joined in on the late-night host riff session tackling Elon Musk and President Trump’s escalating feud, which has seen the tech billionaire leave the administration and allege that the commander-in-chief is named in U.S. government documents about Jeffrey Epstein.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 June 2025
But his riff on American competitiveness, and the need for more smart immigrants, became infamous on the nationalist right.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for riff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riff
Noun
-
Thomas' interpretation and feelings toward the 150-year-old law have been conveyed numerous times in past Court decisions.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
-
Church’s presented great new interpretations of their signature kiltie, Shanghai monk-strap shoe.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Different variations of BTs stalk the wilderness, requiring adaptability to overcome.—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2025
-
In addition to the color requirement, the statute denied the drawback when the price variation between the two wines exceeded 50%.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
This resembles a version of the Portugal away shirt, without a real sense of conviction.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
-
Instead, Musk is betting the firm’s future on robotaxis, having launched a pilot version of the service in Austin earlier this week.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riff. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share