Riff

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈrɪf/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rɪf/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(rif )

Inflections of 'riff' (n):
riffs
npl (All usages. Capitalized when referring to people from Er Rif.)
Riffi
npl (For people from Er Rif only)
Riff
npl (Can be used as a collective plural for people from Er Rif—e.g. "Riff have inhabited this region for centuries.")

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
riff1 /rɪf/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Music and Dancemusic played as an improvisation to the main line of music, esp. in jazz or rock music:a solo guitar riff.

v. [no object]
  1. Music and Danceto perform a riff.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
riff1  (rif ),USA pronunciation [Jazz.]
n. 
    1. Music and Dancea melodic phrase, often constantly repeated, forming an accompaniment or part of an accompaniment for a soloist.

    v.i. 
    1. Music and Danceto perform riffs.
    • perh. alteration and shortening of refrain2 1930–35

riff2  (rif ),USA pronunciation v.t. [Informal.]
  1. Informal Termsrif.

Riff  (rif ),USA pronunciation  n., pl. Riffs, Riff•i  (rif′ē),USA pronunciation  (esp. collectively) Riff. 
  1. Language Varietiesa member of the Berber people living in Er Rif in northern Morocco.
  2. Place NamesRif.
Rif′fi•an, adj., n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
riff /rɪf/ n
  1. (in jazz or rock music) a short series of notes or chords
 vb (intransitive)
  1. to play or perform riffs in jazz or rock music
Etymology: 20th Century: probably altered and shortened from refrain2
'Riff' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Loach - Abd-el Krim - raff - reef - rif
In Lists: R, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "Riff" in the title:


Look up "Riff" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "Riff" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.