rif

or riff

[ rif ]

/ rɪf /

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verb (used with object), riffed, rif·fing.Informal.

to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of rif

First recorded in 1945–50; special use of RIF

Words nearby rif

Riesman, Riesz space, Rieti, Rietveld, Rievaulx Abbey, rif, rifacimento, Rifaʿiya, rifampicin, rifampin, rife

Other definitions for rif (2 of 3)

Rif

or Riff

[ rif ]

/ rɪf /

noun

[er], /ɛr/, a mountainous coastal region in N Morocco.

Other definitions for rif (3 of 3)

RIF

[ rif ]

/ rɪf /

noun

Military. a reduction in the personnel of an armed service or unit.

a reduction in the number of persons employed by a business, government department, etc., especially for budgetary reasons.

Origin of RIF

R(eduction)I(n)F(orce)

How to use rif in a sentence

Those fissures were exacerbated by the tribal divisions that structure rif society in the north.
Syrian Revolt Gains Traction as Tribe by Tribe Unrest Reaches Aleppo|Katie Paul, Rana Riziq|February 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Wheat and maize—or, as it is called in the Sudan, "Aish er rif" (Egyptian bread)—ripens in forty days.
Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892|F. R. Wingate
There's a herb called rif in your own garden is good for cures.
Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland, Second Series|Lady Gregory
His country is one day east of Tetuan, in the Rif mountains.
Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 2|James Richardson

During the year, also, the Rif pirates gave trouble on the shores of northern Africa.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
Epiperipheral, ep-i-pe-rif′e-ral, adj. situated on the periphery or outer surface of the body.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for rif

Rif

Riff Rifi (ˈrɪfɪ)

/ (rɪf) /

noun

plural Rifs, Riffs, Rifis, Rif, Riff or Rifi a member of a Berber people, inhabiting the Atlas Mountains in Morocco

Also called: Rifian, Riffian (ˈrɪfɪən) the dialect of Berber spoken by this people

See Er Rif

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012