Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [rif]
- /rɪf/
- /rɪf/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [rif]
- /rɪf/
Definitions of riff word
- noun riff Er [er] /ɛr/ (Show IPA) a mountainous coastal region in N Morocco. 1
- verb without object riff to perform riffs. 1
- verb with object riff to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program. 1
- noun plural riff a member of the Berber people living in Er Rif in northern Morocco. 1
- noun plural riff Er Rif. 1
- noun riff music: short repeated phrase 1
Information block about the term
Origin of riff
First appearance:
before 1930 One of the 10% newest English words
First recorded in 1930-35; perhaps alteration and shortening of refrain2
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Riff
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
riff popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 79% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
riff usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for riff
noun riff
- ballgame — any game played with a ball
- cadenza — In classical music, a cadenza is a long and difficult solo passage in a piece for soloist and orchestra.
- condition — If you talk about the condition of a person or thing, you are talking about the state that they are in, especially how good or bad their physical state is.
- ostinato — a constantly recurring melodic fragment.
verb riff
- hit the high spots — to stain or mark with spots: The grease spotted my dress.
- leaf through — one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.
- look down — the appearance of paper when inspected under reflected light.
- look through — the opacity and texture of paper when inspected by transmitted light.
Top questions with riff
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