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
The gnarly riffs and polished guitar tones across last year’s Bees in the Bonnet occasionally leaned into the jazzy or minimal, but the overarching sheen was of a retro rock machismo.
—
Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
Brian Gibson’s gangrenous bass riffs and gibbering, muffled vocals have even more gonzo energy than usual, while Chippendale mixes bombast and finesse with his customary flair.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Consider the island vibes and shakerato riffs of Wonderift Coffee in Ahwatukee, while on Grand Avenue, Malegría Cafe blends Salvadorian horchata lattes, reflecting how local coffee culture is embracing Latin influences.
—Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
The entertaining one-act comedy explores the underground world of competitive air guitar, which — for those unfamiliar with the art form, like me — involves re-creating with gusto the theatrical athletics of guitarists playing famous riffs, without the benefit of an instrument.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
The fun cocktail list, which offers riffs on classic drinks like Negronis and whiskey sours, proved more consistent.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Her Three Decibel Rule cocktail mixes Ketel One vodka and Cocchi Americano aperitif wine with lychee and crème fraîche; a nonalcoholic Cloud 9 drink riffs on the classic citrusy and creamy Ramos gin fizz.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Sonically, the track (produced and composed by Gavilan) is a melancholic grassroots folk song accompanied by weeping guitar riffs and a heart-pounding cajón.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
This is a brand new offering that hopefully will be home for a lot of great ideas and lyrics and guitar riffs that will then inspire people a hundred years from now.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
Brian Gibson’s gangrenous bass riffs and gibbering, muffled vocals have even more gonzo energy than usual, while Chippendale mixes bombast and finesse with his customary flair.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Consider the island vibes and shakerato riffs of Wonderift Coffee in Ahwatukee, while on Grand Avenue, Malegría Cafe blends Salvadorian horchata lattes, reflecting how local coffee culture is embracing Latin influences.
—Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
The entertaining one-act comedy explores the underground world of competitive air guitar, which — for those unfamiliar with the art form, like me — involves re-creating with gusto the theatrical athletics of guitarists playing famous riffs, without the benefit of an instrument.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
The fun cocktail list, which offers riffs on classic drinks like Negronis and whiskey sours, proved more consistent.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Her Three Decibel Rule cocktail mixes Ketel One vodka and Cocchi Americano aperitif wine with lychee and crème fraîche; a nonalcoholic Cloud 9 drink riffs on the classic citrusy and creamy Ramos gin fizz.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Sonically, the track (produced and composed by Gavilan) is a melancholic grassroots folk song accompanied by weeping guitar riffs and a heart-pounding cajón.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
This is a brand new offering that hopefully will be home for a lot of great ideas and lyrics and guitar riffs that will then inspire people a hundred years from now.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffs
Noun
-
Both are deliberately broad — an open invitation for serious fashion swings rather than literal interpretations.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Similarly, news aggregators, such as Google News, present users with lists of news stories generated by algorithms’ interpretations of other users’ behavior.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In all the variations the personnel staff played out before the first round, there were very, very few in which Bain fell to them.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, variations in her appearance were noted, such as the strap across her chest.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And fascinatingly, this synthetic universe is so convincing that even some astronomers are doing double-takes.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The best part of creating projects was pushing each other to work harder, laughing in between takes and spending hours editing together.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But repetition is also a way of revisiting earlier versions of ourselves.—
Rafaela Jinich,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Different versions of a Republican, but still.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffs. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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