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.

It is a riff on the Prelude from Bach’s Partita No. 3 for solo violin, the first music heard in the late architect’s Walt Disney Concert Hall while still under construction.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Monty Norman's surf guitar riff and John Barry's sweeping orchestral scores spawned an entire genre of spy music – full of minor key suspense and piercing stabs of trumpet.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

It may sound strange to say it, but a woman helming a “Frankenstein” riff is bold by its very nature.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

The show began as a place for the pair to riff on art, reality TV, music and more, and especially to fanboy about the pop culture they love.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

There is, for example, the red planet Mars, with soaring volcanoes, great riff valleys, enormous planet-wide sandstorms, and, just possibly, some simple forms of life.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan