improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
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improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
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improvised,
past participle, past
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improvising
present participle
-
to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; extemporize.
to improvise an acceptance speech.
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to compose, play, recite, or sing (verse, music, etc.) on the spur of the moment.
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to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.
We improvised a dinner from yesterday's leftovers.
verb (used without object)
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improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improvised,
past participle, past
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improvising
present participle
verb
-
to perform or make quickly from materials and sources available, without previous planning
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to perform (a poem, play, piece of music, etc), composing as one goes along
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvisesimple
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improvisessimple
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have improvisedperfect
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has improvisedperfect
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am improvisingprogressive
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are improvisingprogressive
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is improvisingprogressive
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have been improvisingperfect progressive
-
has been improvisingperfect progressive
Past
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improvisedsimple
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had improvisedperfect
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was improvisingprogressive
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were improvisingprogressive
-
had been improvisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of improvise
First recorded in 1820–30; from French improviser, or its source, Italian improvisare (later improvvisare ), verbal derivative of improviso “improvised,” from Latin imprōvīsus, equivalent to im- “un-” + prōvīsus, past participle of prōvidēre “to see beforehand, prepare, provide for (a future circumstance)”; see im- 2, proviso
Explanation
To improvise means to make something up on the spot, or figure it out as you go. "Our boss decided to improvise his speech at our company meeting and when he started going off-topic, everyone could tell he hadn't prepared in advance." Improvise comes from the Latin word improvisus, meaning "unforeseen, unexpected." Think about when something unexpected happens to you — you have no choice but to react in the moment, or improvise. Another meaning for improvise refers to acting onstage without a script. When actors improvise scenes for an audience, they create funny situations as they go, without having anything pre-planned. The Second City theater in Chicago made this type of comedy famous, with many well-known alumni like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
Vocabulary lists containing improvise
Music - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But Meg is a true comedian in that she understands not only how to improvise within the lane of the scene, but also the give and take.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Watch the export miracle turn into a pumpkin or improvise.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Government contingency plans had "never been stress tested" and officials and ministers were "forced to improvise, establishing new emergency procurement and distribution systems within days".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Part of becoming a confident cook is learning how to improvise your way through a recipe.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
Singers in training spent a lot of time learning to improvise with these syllables.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
But when Cole solos and improvises, it’s more often in single notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
An octet of guest artists improvises in certain passages embedded within the score but also plays written-out music with the rest of the orchestra.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
It’s also a subtler homage than running a tornado through Kansas in black-and-white: Not until Wayne improvises a story for Scotty around “Dorothy” and rainbows does the connection become blazingly apparent.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
‘Jane Austen Unscripted’ at the Garry Marshall Theatre Attention, “Bridgerton” fans: Impro Theatre improvises full-length Regency-era rom-coms in an outdoor setting in the company’s long-running hit show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2023
He sings and improvises his own poems while he plays.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
A new study led by researchers at the University of Bologna suggests that the markings were far more organized than simple scratches or improvised decorations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
One, who said he was aged 17, pointed out an improvised structure of bars and pallets where he and his friends had been sleeping.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The composer improvised his way through the initial stages of “Pray for a Storm,” his high-energy collaboration with famed drummer Stewart Copeland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon repeatedly turned to private companies for help addressing deadly challenges such as improvised explosive devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Polyrhythm, as it has since been dubbed, had long existed in African tribal drumming, improvised on the spot by highly intuitive, skillful players, often in various states of trance.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
He sometimes rapped his jokes, thrived at improvising and roasted celebrities with sharp punches, leaving them in splits.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The crew found "a harmony" like "dancing together", taking no special direction and improvising a lot.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
At times, the piano players in his groups would simply back off during part of Rollins’ solos, loath to risk following the twisting pathways of his improvising.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Greek yogurt is one of the few ingredients that has matched my energy in the kitchen: constantly improvising, making it work with what I got, and never letting things go to waste.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
Therefore I propose that someone with a keen sense of the theatrical, a talent for mimicry and improvising dialogue—a playwright, perhaps?—be engaged as an understudy to the ghost, as it were.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
