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
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Recent Examples of riffle
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
On the water, target current breaks, pools, and deep riffles where trout will wait and ambush their food.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 12 June 2024
Stefan Krajisnik, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Verb
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
On the water, target current breaks, pools, and deep riffles where trout will wait and ambush their food.
—Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 12 June 2024
Noun
Highlight reels of 13 SEC quarterbacks Milton was the talk of the offseason after riffling passes longer than 70 yards at the Manning Passing Academy in June.
—Stefan Krajisnik, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for riffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffle
Verb
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This meal actually earned high marks for flavor and texture, but there was one big problem: The heating instructions for this meal ask you to flip the steak halfway through the cooking process.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
15 July 2025
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To flip the script, more young people must be able to identify and access the skills to participate in a digital and green economy.—
Cynthia Tully,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
-
Trees are leafing, birds are chirping and the mere thought of sending a Microsoft Teams or Slack message feels like an affront to Mother Nature; spring has finally sprung in Indianapolis.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
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This is because of the increasing demands for networking and switches to connect exponentially larger clusters, from spine to leaf in the front end and back end, rack to rack and accelerator to accelerator.—
Beth Kindig,
Forbes,
19 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Wendy pulled up to the release party for Janet Jackson’s Damita Jo album in strawberry blonde curls, army green eyeshadow, pink highlighter, and a sheer, glossy lip.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
18 July 2025
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Celebs have truly embraced all shades of red in 2025, including Megan's pal Keke Palmer, who has been all about copper, auburn, and strawberry hues, and SZA, who performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show with rich, deep auburn curls.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Perhaps equally repugnant is the thought that a magazine that once thumbed its nose seems to have shifted its hand and sadly scratches an ear.—
John Updike,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
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And now: Hardy has evolved since then into a rock star adept at making country music that thumbs its nose at mainstream expectations.—
Laura L. Davis,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
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This cordless device has six free-spinning massage heads, 24 massage nodes, and nonabrasive rollers that won't pinch your skin.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
12 July 2025
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Once the rollers or pins are removed, mist a texturizing spray through the roots.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
12 July 2025
Verb
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The best ideas are not recycled from industry panels or skimmed from competitors’ white papers.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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These cards, used by low-income families to access food benefits, are increasingly being cloned, skimmed and drained, feds say.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
23 July 2025
Noun
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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
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The destructive combers continued to undermine dwellings near the water’s edge at West Newport Beach.—
Scott Harrison,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Riffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffle. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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