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:
Analysts at Nomura describe it as a classic "picks and shovels" trade, a riff on how selling tools during a gold rush can earn people more than searching for the precious metal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Unlike grilled Caesar salad, Lawson’s riff on a classic is essentially baked lettuce.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
So do the animal-shaped wool carpets that riff on traditional skin rugs by using vegetarian-friendly materials to create colorful, flattened creatures: a fiery, spotted cheetah; a purple-striped dodo; a particularly silly mammoth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Silence Is Talking by Reverend & The Makers is reborn as the terrace anthem, aided by the trumpeter in the England band playing the familiar riff taken from War's 1975 song Low Rider.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Zach, do you like pears? Would you eat a pear?” he asks, just a beat after his opening riff.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
There are bulletproof pop melodies, gentle riffs, solid construction, and engaging stories.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Those riffs will be on display at the Wacken Open Air festival on Friday and during McCreary’s eight-date September “Singularity” tour of the West Coast that hits L.A. on Sept. 17.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The company has tried to offer more products beyond jeans — such as dresses, blouses and other items geared toward women — as well as modern riffs on old favorites like 501s.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Richards sometimes spent days without leaving the studio, a wily guitar wonk dreaming up rugged riffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
I recognized the opening riffs of “Change,” by John Waite.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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
Bono has, for decades, riffed on this concept: “America isn’t just a country, it’s an idea.”
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026
During a midweek livestream, Adams had riffed off the results of a poll that asked whether people agreed with the statement “It’s OK to be white.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
Magic Jay, Jimmy L’s secret agent name, was riffed from his favorite basketball player, the legendary Magic Johnson.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
The movie is seeded with nods to Green Day lore, scripted over long sessions riffing with the band over its tour catastrophes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
So no one should think this was just Sotomayor riffing off the cuff.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
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 ● Jan. 5, 2026
Unwittingly, these new Art Deco-like creations, in formally riffing on what came before, reveal the shortcomings of the original movement—and, somehow, of the show itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
We stepped easy, riffing with Styx about our new plan.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
