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
  • Wyndham Clark picked up his third win of 2026 on Sunday after flipping a switch down the stretch at the BMW Championship and fending off Rory McIlroy.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Electric returners can flip the field and change the trajectory of a game in one play.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 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
  • Planting a leafed-out, growing hosta from a pot is identical to any other transplanting process.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026
  • Twelve-hundred years passed in the shade of the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest before it was declared dead after failing to come to leaf.
    — Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 19 June 2026
Definition of leaf
Noun
  • Commerce production assistant Hailey Roy, who has 3C curls, actually skips a hot tool altogether.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Across the broader market, shoppers are gravitating toward products that address hair growth, scalp health, hair density, curl care, repair and strengthening solutions.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • Orion gave a smirk and thumbs up to the camera while Keats made a funny face and stuck his tongue out.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Hawkins, by contrast, almost seems to be thumbing his nose at the whole concept of existing as a complex, nuanced human being.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 16 July 2026
Definition of thumb
Noun
  • Toward the southern end of the park, the LeFrak Center offers ice skating in winter and roller skating in summer, and Smorgasburg, a Sunday local food fair, pops up from April to October.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • And, yes, this dice roller gambled on him reaching 1,000 yards at +400.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of roller
Verb
  • Next, astronomers spied several exoplanets that are gas giants like Jupiter—but in orbits so tight that these worlds practically skim the surfaces of their stars.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The cream that has been skimmed and separated from the milk has about 36% to 40% milk fat.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffle. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on riffle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about riffle

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