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
The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps. — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 17 June 2026 The rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, recorded the aggressive raid on his home surveillance system in videos that showed officers riffling through cash and his CD collection and kicking down his door. — Andrew Graham may 28, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
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
  • In the end, Seattle outmaneuvered and outbodied the Sparks, snatching steals and flipping the ball around the perimeter until the Storm fired off a shot.
    — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Ahead of last year’s trade deadline, the Giants flipped Rogers to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Drew Gilbert and right-hander Blade Tidwell.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 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
  • Brittany Mahomes showed off a head full of romantic wavy curls created by Nashville stylist Brooke Barloe, who posted a photo on her Instagram.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • Steam rises in slow curls from a shaping stand while local kids climb onto high-top chairs and a Coors Light is passed between old friends across the counter.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 July 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • In one scene, a pair of revellers dance naked just outside the fence of the Calvary Cemetery, thumbing their noses at the reaper while the Manhattan skyline towers in the distance.
    — Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
  • His faith becomes tested by his burgeoning relationship with Lilith (Skye Alyssa Friedman), a classmate who takes every opportunity to thumb her nose at the confines of religion.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 July 2026
Definition of thumb
Noun
  • Each has plays — like a slow-roller up the third base line that requires a quick throw across the diamond — that no other position will encounter.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Today's advanced sun blocking roller shades are designed to do much more than simply protect privacy.
    — K.H. Koehler, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Definition of roller
Verb
  • The cropped length and elbow-skimming sleeves keep things cool while brown buttons add visual interest.
    — Claire West, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Once devoted to chin-skimming cuts, Hadid has spent the last year growing out her hair.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 July 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on riffle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about riffle

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