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Definition of "riff" []

  • Music A short rhythmic phrase, especially one that is repeated in improvisation. (noun)
  • A clever or inventive commentary or remark: "Those little riffs that had seemed to have such sparkle over drinks ... look all too embarrassing in cold print” ( John Richardson). (noun)
  • To play or make riffs. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "riff" in a sentence
  • "Thanks to technological acceleration, John Cage jokes are rapidly approaching their sell-by date (remember when 4'33 was this wild, crazy cult thing that nobody knew about?), but this riff is a worthy entry in the pantheon."
  • "Teabagger riff is old, and “bigot” says more about the speaker."
  • "They slammed into the main riff (sort of a sped up version of "Spoonful") with a frantic and almost desperate ferocity."