riff
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:
The song was “Your Ghost Again,” from the band’s new album, “Marrow Deep,” and it closed with a supercharged riff as heavy as Slayer or Sabbath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
While Warren and the bill’s co-sponsors shouldn’t lean too hard on an extemporaneous riff from a podcaster, the germ of a promising strategy is there.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
His one pop hit, “Loser,” was built upon a slide-guitar riff and a breakbeat; verses were rapped; and the chorus, a mix of English and Spanish, was a singalong rock anthem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He plays us Soulmate, a funny and affectionate tribute to Amy, powered by a peacocking guitar riff.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Watching that concert was like the first time hearing Ella Fitzgerald scat, Kendrick Lamar spit, or Jazmine Sullivan riff: observing a thing of beauty.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
An explosive surge of energy as the opening synth riffs of Fantastic Baby shatter the stadium air.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
“An Unexpected Life” consists of short essays in which Steinem riffs on ideas and associations from her earlier years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The badass riffs in this particular case are courtesy of Roman Morello, the 15-year-old son of our interviewee, who joined his dad’s band when he was 13.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The album is loaded with Anthrax trademarks — serrated, crunchy riffs, soaring lead vocals, bludgeoning beats, and scorching guitar — but there are also galactic noise effects, angular song structures and atypical chord configurations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
He’d play off of their riffs and not on top of them, unless they played a tidal wave of chords where everyone jammed together.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
“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
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
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
An avid rock drummer, Yang called his startup “Dark Side of the Moon” in Chinese, riffing off the Pink Floyd album.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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
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
