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
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.
For the following “Cruise Ship Designer,” Mr. Dowse’s chiming guitar riff serves as the engine of the tune, as Ms. Shaw burrows deep into a character we haven’t really heard of in a song before.
Snoop will join NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico in Italy in February, riffing on stories that unfold at the Winter Games the way he did at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
From Los Angeles Times
The next two hours were filled with chitchat between sets: Nicole’s end-of-school-year frenzy, Rich’s musician thoughts about those sweet drum riffs and where we should all go to grab a bite after.
From Los Angeles Times
Instead, they went straight to the studio, riffing on their shared love of The Cure, Oasis and - rather brilliantly - the Alessi Brothers' 1976 soft rock classic Seabird.
From BBC
A pulsing bassline and electric keyboard are supported by tight horn riffs: “If you hear any noise / It’s just me and the boys / Hit me / You gotta hit the band.”
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.
