to riff
22
6.3
- verb
- /rɪf/
- Informal
- As the comedian started to riff on everyday life, the audience erupted in laughter.
- riffed on an idea
- just riffed
- started riffing
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Watch on YouTubeAnd I don't know, I'm, I'm just riffing like Miles Davis might.
- And I don't know, I'm, I'm just riffing like Miles Davis might.
- We're trying to avoid people riffing on the spot.
- And then a second write up in the second-half when we're riffing through the use cases.
- I mean that he's he's he's riffing on on the poetry of of compost.
- So I don't want to riff too long on this, but to say, do I love the FDA?
- What I'd like to hear you riff on a little bit is how you think about fast decisions.
- I was sort of riffing off of the famous song Amy by Name me what you want to do.
- It's like a mixture of like improv, riffing, stand up.
- And then we would just riff all these crazy runs when they weren't there.
Examples
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Look, we're just kind of riffing here, but maybe you find whoever you've wronged, whatever you're feeling guilty about, and you take responsibility.
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During the jam session, they would often riff off each other's ideas, creating beautiful music together.
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But let me, let me just riff for a second.
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We should just riff on that a little bit.
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You know, but it was really fun to just riff like that, like you were writing on the spot.
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Rather, he seems to like to riff off of whatever interesting idea serves his purpose.
Blog text (5) -
And so we we riff off each other and you have a social conscience.
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I have an idea for an explainer and it's just I just want to riff on plants and animals.
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Just riff, give us some of that Randy magic.
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We we were sort of established and really riffed well with each other and it was organic.
Synonyms
17
6.2
To perform without a script, making scenes or music on the spot
12
7.4
To talk freely for a long time about ordinary things
8
4.1
To perform music, dance, or speech without planning and make it up as you go
6
6.8
To play music in a relaxed, not serious way
How Spontaneous
Surface Forms
Etymology
Riff used for talking comes from the musical use of the word and a helpful way to remember it is to think of a comedian 'riffing' like a musician playing quick ideas. So riff now means to improvise or play with ideas in music or conversation.