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View synonyms for riffle

riffle

[ rif-uhl ]

verb (used with or without object)

, rif·fled, rif·fling.
  1. to turn hastily; flutter and shift:

    to riffle a stack of letters; to riffle through a book.

  2. Cards. to shuffle by dividing the deck in two, raising the corners slightly, and allowing them to fall alternately together.
  3. to cause or become a riffle.


noun

  1. a rapid, as in a stream.
  2. a ripple, as upon the surface of water.
  3. Mining. the lining of transverse bars or slats on the bed of a sluice, arranged so as to catch heavy minerals, as gold or platinum.
  4. a hopper for distributing bulk material.
  5. the act or method of riffling cards.

riffle

/ ˈrɪfəl /

verb

  1. whenintr, often foll by through to flick rapidly through (the pages of a book, magazine, etc), esp in a desultory manner
  2. to shuffle (playing cards) by halving the pack and flicking the adjacent corners together
  3. to make or become a riffle
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

    1. a rapid in a stream
    2. a rocky shoal causing a rapid
    3. a ripple on water
  1. mining a contrivance on the bottom of a sluice, containing transverse grooves for trapping particles of gold
  2. the act or an instance of riffling
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • un·riffled adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of riffle1

1630–40; blend of ripple 1 and ruffle 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of riffle1

C18: probably from ruffle 1, influenced by ripple 1
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Example Sentences

They returned to her office, and while Mother tried to figure out what was happening, Dr. Cooper riffled through a filing cabinet, mumbling to herself.

The songs often morph through multiple changes of tempo and texture, riffling unpredictably through indie-rock austerity, orchestral lushness, pop perkiness and hallucinatory electronic studio concoctions, like the cascade of wavery, overlapping piano lines in “Connect.”

Ella riffled through her satchel and retrieved a book almost the size of her.

Even after the Christmas rush, the aisles were packed with Asian customers riffling through racks of Ohtani jerseys and T-shirts featuring his caricature, his name stamped with Japan’s red sun symbol or the “SHO-TIME” logo.

In the recording, the former president is heard riffling through papers and saying: "This is highly confidential".

From BBC

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