rif
verb (used with object)
to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.
rif
1 American
[rif]
/ rɪf /
Or
riff
verb (used with object)
Informal.
riffed,
riffing
Rif
2
American
[rif]
/ rɪf /
Or
Riff
noun
RIF
3
American
[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.
Rif
British
/ rɪf /
noun
-
a member of a Berber people, inhabiting the Atlas Mountains in Morocco
-
Also called: Rifian, Riffian. the dialect of Berber spoken by this people
-
See Er Rif
Etymology
Origin of rif1
First recorded in 1945–50; special use of RIF
Origin of RIF3
R(eduction) I(n) F(orce)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Riff-raff.—The refuse of anything, "Il ne lui lairra rif ny raf."
From Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by George Bell
Philippe of Macedoyne kyng Two Sones hadde be his wif, Whos fame is yit in Grece rif: Demetrius the ferste brother Was hote, and Perse.s that other.
From Confessio Amantis, or, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins by G. C. (George Campbell) Macaulay
Cotgrave in Rif, where rif is said to mean nothing.
From Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by George Bell
The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 tremor near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains which killed over 600 people.
From Reuters ● Sep. 9, 2023
It’s cashing-in time in the village of Tamadit, tucked 4,000 feet high on the slopes of the Rif mountains.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
"Despite everything, I am proud of our team," Inas, an English teacher from Rif, who wore a Moroccan national team shirt, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2022
The Cinéma Rif — an Art Deco movie theater beautifully restored by the Moroccan visual artist Yto Barrada.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
To this time, perhaps, belongs the incident related by Rif Baer, an Egyptian, who was his comrade and best friend in the regiment.
From Poems by Alan Seeger
"These RIF numbers from the court filing are just a snapshot in time," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
“My own staff is largely getting news of GSA’s activities from the press, from a Reddit thread titled ‘GSA RIF Megathread’ — you’ll never hear me say that again — and occasionally from ex-GSA employees.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
“Members of the RIF would not have participated” in the killing without his consent, according to the report.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2021
Send “we the people” a message with RIF notices to half.
From Washington Times ● May 15, 2020
Refusing to treat patients who have experienced repeated implantation failure—the dreaded RIF in fertility circles—can also artificially boost success rates.
From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2014
“Poltergeist” was, notably, a summertime Amblin release that similarly riffed on classic creature scares — updating dusty, old ghost tropes with new ideas — much like Mitchell does with his dino-time-travel extravaganza.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
President Donald Trump riffed on his White House predecessors in a children's podcast Friday, while also joking about his weight and musing as to whether his body is swimsuit-ready.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
At a crypto event in June, a video that riffed on an old movie showed Tenev speeding through the French Riviera in a convertible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
The most painful moment may have been the concluding “Sports Matters” segment, where Meier riffed with co-host Dave Martin while holding packets of paper from which they were clearly and awkwardly reading.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2025
And then a sound riffed into that silence.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
The audience instantly understands that this is Schoenbrun riffing on their own intellectually minded approach, and that Kris is a self-insert character for the movie’s writer-director.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The bar is decorated with references to China's AI boom, with logos of the country's major labs on the walls and the menu full of jokes riffing on tech jargon.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Elderflower liqueur is also the star in my spritz riffing on the Greyhound cocktail, which combines gin or vodka with grapefruit juice and club soda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
During the show’s monologue, Colbert was riffing on Starbucks opening in Italy when a couple and their son sitting in the audience interrupted him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
He was riffing about on his acoustic guitar.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
