riffs

plural of riff
as in interpretations
a distinct treatment of something (as a story or a play) a mock news program with humorous riffs on current events

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 riffs There was something carnivalesque about Marcia’s intellectual riffs. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 But California alt-metal trio Primus exists almost entirely in opposition to good taste, with Les Claypool singing morbidly odd story-songs about colorful characters in a nasal wheeze while his bass belches out gnarly, distorted riffs. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026 And Quentin Collette’s turbulent soundscape — rumbling, clanking, with the unrelenting downpour stirring in elemental fury — mixes seamlessly with the tense synth riffs of French electronic composer Robin Coudert, known professionally as ROB. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Moon Bar’s menu offers the classics, as well as riffs on those drinks, like the addition of miso shiso honey to an old fashioned. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 McCollough thought Watts was a comedic genius, and the pair shared a similar sense of humor, establishing their own bits and improvisational riffs. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026 Diners hop from neighborhood to neighborhood sampling everything from upscale tasting menus to casual comfort-food riffs. — Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register, 12 Aug. 2026 John Carpenter’s dazzling epic riffs on everything from Howard Hawks to crime serials. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026 Across 17 tracks, guitar riffs curdle into sheets of distortion, melodies dissolve into electronic hiss, and grooves are chronically interrupted by fresh rhythmic detours. — Arman Khan, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffs
Noun
  • Four 19th-century English vitrines each showcased a different story from the new collection, emphasizing Italian craft through materials, colors and techniques — and the unique interpretations of the Mosaico.
    — Katie Abel, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout the rooms, the art was commissioned to bring in local artists and their interpretations of the landscape.
    — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In the 1990s, there was a push to teach regional languages at schools in the eastern Caribbean and offer university degrees in them as officials fought to preserve and promote the centuries-old language and its variations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • More uniformly vibrant is the red iteration, which applies multiple variations of the color through the upper and midsole.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Those takes were by far the largest since May when Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt concluded her run as Roxie with a weekly gross of $1,688,129.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The trend forecaster and fashion analyst (who, online, goes as @oldloserinbrooklyn) is known for her prescient takes, which seem to lean in equal parts on data and a sixth sense for what’s to come.
    — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Otherwise, only Viktor Salomon is left with his two versions of the sneaker featuring inverse black and white treatments with another baroque pattern and gold accents.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a fragmented culture where all corners of the entertainment world are struggling to produce new versions of the sort of ubiquitous, four-quadrant successes that consumers recall as regular occurrences in earlier decades.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Riffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffs. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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