Meaning & use

riffing

verb·Everyday

Last updated

Improvising, especially musically, or talking or writing in a loose, spontaneous, exploratory way about a topic.

See it in a sentence

The guitarist started riffing over the same four chords for ten minutes straight.

The comedians were just riffing on current events during the podcast.

A note on using this word

Originally a musical term for a short repeated phrase, now widely used to describe casual improvisation in speech or writing.

Words with a similar meaning

improvisingjamming

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A short repeated phrase in music, especially in jazz, rock, or blues

The song's opening riff is instantly recognizable.

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