riffle

Imagine a shallow part of a stream where water runs over stones and breaks into small, quick waves: that is a riffle. In everyday English, though, you will more often hear "riffle" for the fast, light flipping of pages or playing cards. Think of a dealer doing a riffle shuffle or a reader quickly turning through a magazine to find an interesting page. In both cases, the word suggests quick, light movement rather than a deep or careful search.

To riffle is to move through something with a quick, light action, especially by flipping pages, papers, or cards. As a noun, a riffle is also a shallow part of a stream where water runs over stones and forms small broken waves. The idea in both senses is light, repeated movement rather than one big motion.

Outside the stream sense, "riffle" is common in the world of paper and games. To riffle through a book is to turn the pages quickly, often just to get a general sense of what is there without reading every word. In card games, a riffle shuffle is the familiar move where the deck is split into two parts and the cards are let fall together in an interleaved way. The verb can also describe a quick, not very careful search; someone might riffle through old letters, notes, or photographs looking for one thing.

In more specialized use, "riffle" can name the bars or slats in a sluice box that catch heavier material in gold mining. It is also worth keeping separate from "rifle." If you riffle through something, you move through it lightly and quickly. If you rifle through something, you search through it more forcefully, often with the feeling of rummaging. Overall, "riffle" carries a sense of quick, repeated, lightly broken movement, whether in water, cards, or pages.