as in interpretation
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 riff
Robbins throws up two podcasts a week, plus endless social media riffs.
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Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
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Before Raye leaves, why not attempt a duet version of that Burlesque riff?
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024
Notes of pink pepper and rum and tobacco leaf absolute round out the sweetly smoky scent, which lends itself to a night of firelight, expertly poured cocktails, and melodious riffs.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024
The two arrangements start off sounding fairly similar, swaggering in on a primal guitar riff for the ages.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for riff 
Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time
The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
Before Raye leaves, why not attempt a duet version of that Burlesque riff?
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024
Notes of pink pepper and rum and tobacco leaf absolute round out the sweetly smoky scent, which lends itself to a night of firelight, expertly poured cocktails, and melodious riffs.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024
The two arrangements start off sounding fairly similar, swaggering in on a primal guitar riff for the ages.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for riff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riff
Noun
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That interpretation reached something of a tipping point with the September 30 death of Creel, one of Broadway’s most popular leading men of musicals and much beloved for his LGBTQ+ activism.Greg Evans, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
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Kardashian’s modern interpretation of the historic piece included layering it with pearl necklaces and completing the look with an ivory cape-style coat.Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The variation is mainly due to the absence of a one-time royalty sale that occurred in 2023.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
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The study also showed some significant regional variation in coyote populations.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
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However, a smaller, cruder version could be implemented in the coming years by a private company or rogue nation.Lara Williams, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news Anyone following the rhetoric around artificial intelligence in recent years has heard one version or another of the claim that AI is inevitable.Nir Eisikovits, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Riff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riff. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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