as in interpretations
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 riffs
In testing, the ominous backbeat drove the track, while the screeching riffs and vocals stood against it.
—
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Or perhaps drop in to sample their Tinis & Tapas menu, which pairs flavorful riffs on the martini with small bites like patatas brava and garlic gambas.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
Over six feet tall and skinny, with a mass of reddish curls, Fleming leaps and bounds across stage while delivering riffs on the bitmoji skills of baby boomers, ballads dedicated to deceased chain craft store Joann’s Fabrics, and Celine Dion’s gamer sons.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
The landing page for the band’s site contains 10 new riffs… which, for those hoping for actual new songs from the group, definitely counts as a start.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Laura managed to jot the trumpet part into a notebook, but by then, Sun Ra’s riffs had changed.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
The drink menu is divided into familiar categories — martini, negroni, spritz, highball, collins, sour, old-fashioned — and each is led by the classic iteration, followed by several riffs on the category.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
The ad features Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Jasmine Guy, Jaleel White, Alfonso Ribeiro and Ted Danson, all doing riffs on their past TV characters.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The riffs of a country band trickled from a packed club and into the parking lot, a rock’s throw from Alabama’s hulking college football stadium.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Or perhaps drop in to sample their Tinis & Tapas menu, which pairs flavorful riffs on the martini with small bites like patatas brava and garlic gambas.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
Over six feet tall and skinny, with a mass of reddish curls, Fleming leaps and bounds across stage while delivering riffs on the bitmoji skills of baby boomers, ballads dedicated to deceased chain craft store Joann’s Fabrics, and Celine Dion’s gamer sons.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
The landing page for the band’s site contains 10 new riffs… which, for those hoping for actual new songs from the group, definitely counts as a start.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Laura managed to jot the trumpet part into a notebook, but by then, Sun Ra’s riffs had changed.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
The drink menu is divided into familiar categories — martini, negroni, spritz, highball, collins, sour, old-fashioned — and each is led by the classic iteration, followed by several riffs on the category.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
The ad features Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Jasmine Guy, Jaleel White, Alfonso Ribeiro and Ted Danson, all doing riffs on their past TV characters.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The riffs of a country band trickled from a packed club and into the parking lot, a rock’s throw from Alabama’s hulking college football stadium.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffs
Noun
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Ahead, discover 28 elegant interpretations of old money blonde to inspire your next salon appointment.—
Calin Van Paris,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
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Our city leaders must ensure that development remains impartial and grounded in the law, rather than being determined by subjective interpretations behind closed doors.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Fill up on gas and peruse a staggering menu of over 700 variations of fizzy pop, including weird and wonderful flavors such as teriyaki beef jerky soda.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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The results help scientists better understand the geological differences between the near side and far side of the Moon, including variations in volcanic activity and crust formation that date back billions of years.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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From evergreen staples from Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo to modern takes from Toteme and The Row (and even a few unexpected picks in bubblegum pink and firetruck red), their wishlist encompasses a lot of bridal styles; and, more importantly, a lot of bridal events.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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Actors might then spend the entire day — and sometimes well into the night — wearing and removing the elaborate wigs dozens of times between takes.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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By combining strontium doping and oxygen tuning, the team produced many slightly different versions of the material.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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Several independent legal experts told me that, legally, the Pentagon can likely get away with using OpenAI’s technology—versions of the models that underlie ChatGPT—for mass surveillance of Americans.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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