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
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Recent Examples of riffs
At their core, Rush were always about glorious musical excess, routinely cramming more riffs and time signatures into single songs than some bands managed on entire albums.
—
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2026
When done well, those moments can be as important to the world of an album as the riffs and blast beats.
—Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026
Scary Movie, the latest entry in the beloved horror parody franchise, is overloaded with riffs, digs, plays, and puns on modern cinema.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Food and drink The fifth-floor BAHR with its open kitchen showcases his distinctive flavor combinations with plates like prawn rissoles (a Portuguese snack) as well as riffs on traditional dishes like pork with clams.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Corgan was still dreaming of monster riffs in the vein of Jimmy Page balanced out with the goth sensibilities of bands like the Cure.
—David Harris, SPIN, 2 June 2026
His movies are goofs, larks, stunts, knowingly arch bizarro-world riffs.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
In theory, this is a time for quiet reflection, to let those opening raucous religious riffs wash over you.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Ahead, 11 highly quaffable recipes—from martini riffs to sour variations—for welcoming the new year in high spirits.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2026
When done well, those moments can be as important to the world of an album as the riffs and blast beats.
—Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026
Scary Movie, the latest entry in the beloved horror parody franchise, is overloaded with riffs, digs, plays, and puns on modern cinema.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Food and drink The fifth-floor BAHR with its open kitchen showcases his distinctive flavor combinations with plates like prawn rissoles (a Portuguese snack) as well as riffs on traditional dishes like pork with clams.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Corgan was still dreaming of monster riffs in the vein of Jimmy Page balanced out with the goth sensibilities of bands like the Cure.
—David Harris, SPIN, 2 June 2026
His movies are goofs, larks, stunts, knowingly arch bizarro-world riffs.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
In theory, this is a time for quiet reflection, to let those opening raucous religious riffs wash over you.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Ahead, 11 highly quaffable recipes—from martini riffs to sour variations—for welcoming the new year in high spirits.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffs
Noun
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The failure to analyze or even acknowledge countless comic interpretations of presidents in contexts that lack Lorne Michaels is so thoroughly bizarre that the entire documentary becomes more head-scratching than enlightening.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
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The ability to reproduce these features in the laboratory could help scientists better understand how different regions of the moon have changed over time and improve interpretations of orbital observations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Noun
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One hundred and nine years after its birth in New Orleans (and some Dixieland lovers were the first ones to declare jazz dead when other variations of the music began emerging), the music is still with us, and appreciated by everyone from Boomers to Gen-Zers.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
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The White House responded with economic sanctions, and then-President Dwight Eisenhower established the first embargo with an export ban, beginning an economic blockade of Cuba that has lasted, with a few variations, for nearly 70 years.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Shot in Technicolor, occurring in real time, and edited to appear as four long takes, everything from Birdman (2014) to The Bear likely wouldn't exist without Hitchcock's ingenious work here circa 1940.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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Normally, in a heated scene, actors might want to try and stay in that energy between takes and keep themselves worked up.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Hopefully, future versions will be even more capable of handling unpredictable natural environments.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
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While early versions of the martini leaned toward the sweeter side, often involving , sweet Italian vermouth, time changed the martini.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffs. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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