riffle
riffle Lexical Profile
riffle Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To turn over something, especially the pages of a book, quickly and casually while looking for a particular item.
"She riffled through the stack of old magazines while waiting for her appointment."
To shuffle a deck of playing cards by dividing it in half and flicking the edges so the two halves interlace.
"He riffled the deck twice and offered it to his opponent to cut."
To flow over a shallow or rocky area with a rippling motion (of water or wind).
"A cool autumn breeze riffled the surface of the mountain lake."
• noun
A rocky or shallow part of a stream or river where the water flows brokenly and forms small waves.
"The trout were hiding in the oxygenated water just below the shallow riffle."
An act of shuffling playing cards by splitting the deck in two and flicking the corners together so the cards interleave.
"The dealer executed a smooth riffle before dealing the first hand of poker."
A groove, slat, or cleat set across the bottom of a sluice box to trap gold or other heavy minerals during mining.
"Fine particles of gold settled behind each wooden riffle as the sediment washed down the trough."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Riffle" is frequently confused with "rifle"; to "riffle" through something means to flip through pages or items casually, whereas to "rifle" through something means to search aggressively, often with the intent to steal.
• Rhymes for riffle
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 18th century, the word is likely a blend of "ripple" and "ruffle," or an alteration of the dialectal verb "rive" meaning to tear or split.