as in to flip
to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner
Web research is convenient but doesn't offer the tactile pleasures of riffling through heavy old books
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Recent Examples of riffle
Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2024
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
Samindra Kunti, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Very often, the single word that completes the thought in a Maclean line is the fly that drops perfectly onto the riffle.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Verb
Palm fronds riffled in the hot breeze as the sky darkened and the air smelled, mysteriously, of salad dressing.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2024
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
Noun
Tanks and soldiers with riffles have lined the streets of the Paraguayan capital all week.
—Samindra Kunti, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Very often, the single word that completes the thought in a Maclean line is the fly that drops perfectly onto the riffle.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffle
Verb
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Adames then flipped the ball a couple feet to third baseman Matt Chapman, as Shaw took off his batting gloves and helmet and casually walked off the bag.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then release the springform sides and flip over the cake onto a serving platter.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pipe those wavelets of foie gras feculence over to neighboring Surfside, a two-bathroom kind of town with waste pipes galore.—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 June 2025
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Its wavelets lap enticingly at our feet, but the breaker that might truly knock the breath out of us never comes.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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If flower buds are forming too early, cover the plants with a layer of straw or leaf mulch to protect them from damage and uncover them when the weather warms up.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Feb. 2026
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What can residents do to help leaf, trash collectors?—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The northeastern part of Norway curls around Sweden and borders Finland, too.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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The cloud of cream cheese over the top is light as air, weighed down with a heap of Parmesan cheese grated so finely the curls disappear on your tongue.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When the Chicago Tribune went after him, stirring up the first of many federal, state, and local investigations into Robinson's activities, Noah thumbed his nose.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Why did Lucas take the note from De Palma while thumbing his nose at studio suggestions?—
Michael O’Donnell,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The show’s creator, Douglas Carter Beane, had a Broadway hit a few years prior with his remake of the campy ’80s roller-skating film Xanadu.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Once you’re done with the paint roller, pour any leftover paint back into the can, carefully fold up the foil, and discard.—
Darcy Lenz,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recently, Beyoncé debuted a bouncy, jaw-skimming blonde bob that promptly sent the internet into a tizzy.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
26 Feb. 2026
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Freddie was the link to a militia group that had been skimming money from the state to buy weapons.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the scope was one of the many tiny fish bones that were found that day, probably belonging to a small comber or a wrasse.—
Paul Greenberg,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
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The destructive combers continued to undermine dwellings near the water’s edge at West Newport Beach.—
Scott Harrison,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffle. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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