Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun riff

2 senses of riff

Sense 1
Riff, Riffian -- (a Berber living in northern Morocco)
       => Berber -- (a member of an indigenous people of northern Africa)

Sense 2
riff -- (a jazz ostinato; usually provides a background for a solo improvisation)
       => ostinato -- (a musical phrase repeated over and over during a composition)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb riff

2 senses of riff

Sense 1
flick, flip, thumb, riffle, leaf, riff -- (look through a book or other written material; "He thumbed through the report"; "She leafed through the volume")
       => peruse -- (examine or consider with attention and in detail; "Please peruse this report at your leisure")

Sense 2
riff -- (play riffs)
       => play, spiel -- (replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully")