riffle 1 of 2

verb

ˈri-fəl How to pronounce riffle (audio)
Definition of rifflenext
as in to flip
to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner Web research is convenient but doesn't offer the tactile pleasures of riffling through heavy old books

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

riffle

2 of 2

noun

as in wavelet

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riffle
Verb
Palm fronds riffled in the hot breeze as the sky darkened and the air smelled, mysteriously, of salad dressing. — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2024 Keep reading to check out more weekend deals, or head straight to Amazon to riffle through everything else that's on sale right now. — Amy Schulman, PEOPLE.com, 6 May 2022
Noun
Tanks and soldiers with riffles have lined the streets of the Paraguayan capital all week. — Samindra Kunti, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025 Very often, the single word that completes the thought in a Maclean line is the fly that drops perfectly onto the riffle. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for riffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffle
  1. flip
  2. wavelet
  3. leaf
  4. curl
  5. thumb
  6. roller
  7. skim
  8. comber
Verb
  • With the genre’s scarcity on the charts in 2026 — so far, Drake is the only rapper to notch a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 this year as a lead artist — flipping a once-big hit might seem like an easy remedy.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In a world where that happens, the huge number of bearish stocks would flip instantly.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of flip
Noun
  • Pipe those wavelets of foie gras feculence over to neighboring Surfside, a two-bathroom kind of town with waste pipes galore.
    — Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2025
  • Its wavelets lap enticingly at our feet, but the breaker that might truly knock the breath out of us never comes.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of wavelet
Verb
  • These emotions are pertinent not only to the plant or leaf itself but also to living matter in its vicinity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Planting a leafed-out, growing hosta from a pot is identical to any other transplanting process.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026
Definition of leaf
Noun
  • For a decade, hundreds of Black women and girls have gathered in Kansas City wearing curls, coils, locs, braids and Afros for an annual photograph intended to challenge narrow ideas about what beautiful hair is supposed to look like.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Underneath, Nicks let her natural curls run wild, cascading down her back and shoulders.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • Neon seems to be thumbing its nose at its biggest rival A24 by planning a competing horror film based on the online universe of writing called the SCP Foundation.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • This is an entire class of wealthy and unaccountable men thumbing their noses at the American public.
    — Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of thumb
Noun
  • The ultimate depuffing hack, an ice roller, can take you from puffed out to sculpted.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Read More The Deebot X8 Pro Omni is an excellent roller mopping bot that extends to clean along backboards and furniture.
    — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of roller
Verb
  • After that, visitors file out and gain even more virtual altitude, boarding a dirigible that skims an ancient version of the skyline.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier test flights ventured no farther than the Indian Ocean halfway around the world, often crashing in flames and briefly skimming space.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of skim
Noun
  • In the scope was one of the many tiny fish bones that were found that day, probably belonging to a small comber or a wrasse.
    — Paul Greenberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022
  • The destructive combers continued to undermine dwellings near the water’s edge at West Newport Beach.
    — Scott Harrison, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2019
Definition of comber

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on riffle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about riffle

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