rif
verb (used with object)
to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.
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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:
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
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
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
The Education Department said it will use a reduction in force process, known colloquially as a Rif, to reduce staffing levels.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2025
Fighters form the Berber community resisted this, most notoriously in the long and bloody Rif War between 1921 and 1926, which saw the Spanish army decimated by forces led by Abdelkrim al-Khattabi.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2023
The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 tremor near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains killed over 600 people.
From Reuters ● Sep. 9, 2023
Rif, meanwhile, has been a hotbed of unrest, most recently mass protests that started in October 2016 after the death of a fishmonger that were only quashed eight months later.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
Bark.—This is a monopoly of the north, principally of the mountainous region of Rif.
From Travels in Morocco, Volume 1. by James Richardson
Remember, Congress reversed any RIF that was “noticed,” “executed,” or “implemented” during the shutdown.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
The filing also said that 20 to 30 at the Environmental Protection Agency were issued "intent to RIF" notice on Friday, notifying them that they may be affected in the future.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 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
So it makes sense when you see a crowd gather around the Free Range L.A. food truck, parked outside the RIF sneaker shop in Little Tokyo on Wednesdays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2016
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
For the next 12 years, Colbert’s topical, opening monologues riffed heavily off the news, and that included healthy doses of satire about Trump the candidate or President Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
But just as pizzaiolos have riffed on the Neapolitan pie, some artisanal bakers have found that the key to success lies in strategically breaking from dogma.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Bono has, for decades, riffed on this concept: “America isn’t just a country, it’s an idea.”
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026
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
The director said: "As Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing, and I finally said, 'bro, let's ride', so guys, we'll see you in 2028."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“We don’t have a permit,” cracked host Ego Nwodim, riffing on scrappy independent tactics in her monologue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
We stepped easy, riffing with Styx about our new plan.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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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.
