riff
1 Americannoun
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Jazz. a melodic phrase, often constantly repeated, forming an accompaniment or part of an accompaniment for a soloist.
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a new variation on or a different manifestation of an existing thing or idea (often followed byon ).
This is an eco-conscious riff on the study-abroad experience.
verb (used without object)
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Jazz. to perform a repeated melodic phrase, forming an accompaniment for a soloist.
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to experiment with a thing or idea, making changes that create a new and novel version of it (often followed byon ).
My partner likes to let his ideas quietly simmer, but I prefer to riff on mine in conversations where I can bounce my thoughts off other people.
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to create, write, or perform something, like a comedy routine, using a common or known point of departure and following a previously unexplored tangent from that known point to a fresh or humorous perspective (often followed by on oroff ).
My act riffs off famous love stories and adds modern feminist elements to unmask the absurdity of “happily ever after” in fairy tales.
noun
verb
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(intr) to play or perform riffs in jazz or rock music
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informal to speak amusingly or make (amusing comments or remarks)
Other Word Forms
- Riffian adjective
Etymology
Origin of riff
First recorded in 1930–35; perhaps alteration and shortening of refrain 2
Explanation
A riff is a short section of music, especially in jazz. When you're first learning to play the saxophone, you may just play the same riff over and over. When one jazz musician in a band is improvising, the others are typically playing riffs in the background. Sometimes a riff introduces the start of a song or its chorus. To play this section is also to riff, and you can also talk about improvised speech using riff: "The stand-up comic decided to riff on the subject of his mom, since it was the only joke that was getting any laughs."
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.
Since then, the 79-year-old Republican has rarely missed an opportunity to discuss the project, frequently meandering in mid-speech on other topics to riff about the architectural details of the proposed facility.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
A cartoon maritime odyssey, powered by what Ricky Wilson called "the stupidest riff you ever heard", it became one of the first independent hits on the American new wave scene, selling more than 20,000 copies.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
Kurt Cobain strummed the grunge anthem’s iconic four-chord opening riff on a 1969 Fender Mustang, Lake Placid Blue with a signature racing stripe.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026
At Jeffrey Deitch, Sharif Farrag’s mind-mending ceramic sculptures riff on art history—Bosch and Goya are obvious references—with the maximalist, pop-culture-filled objects walking the line between stomach-churning and captivating.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
He was going to riff on the man who’d shaved in front of a Rembrandt.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
