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• ad lib
  ad lib

  noun

  something improvised in speech, music, etc..
• ad lib.
  ad lib.

  abbreviation

  ad libitum.
• ad-lib
  ad-lib

  verb (used with object)

  to improvise all or part of (a speech, a piece of music, etc.).

ad lib

¹ American  

[ad lib, ad] / æd ˈlɪb, ˈæd /

noun

1. something improvised in speech, music, etc..

   Was that joke part of your speech or an ad lib?

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adverb

1. at one's pleasure; without restriction.

2. freely; as needed; without stint.

   Water can be given to the patients ad lib.

ad lib. ² American  

abbreviation

1. ad libitum.

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ad-lib ³ American  

[ad-lib, ad-] / ædˈlɪb, ˈæd- /

verb (used with object)

ad-libbed, ad-libbing

1. to improvise all or part of (a speech, a piece of music, etc.).

   to ad-lib one's lines.

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verb (used without object)

ad-libbed, ad-libbing

1. to act, speak, etc., without preparation.

   Throughout the play he had to ad-lib constantly.

adjective

1. impromptu; extemporaneous.

   ad-lib remarks to hecklers.

ad-lib British  

/ ædˈlɪb /

verb

1. to improvise and deliver without preparation (a speech, musical performance, etc)

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adjective

1. improvised; impromptu

adverb

1. without restraint; freely

2. music short for ad libitum

noun

1. an improvised performance, often humorous

Other Word Forms

• ad-libber
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ad lib¹

First recorded in 1810–20; see origin at ad libitum

Origin of ad-lib³

1915–20, v. use of ad lib

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ad lib ad lib. ad-lib ad-libbed ad-libbing

But she is keen to clear something up about possibly her most famous ad lib - "enter" - which she often used to hype up the energy during live performances.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

I could ad lib those two scenes with the boys when I wake them up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2024

Sure enough, after three months, the mice who ate ad lib were stricken with obesity, diabetes, liver disease, and a host of other ugly conditions.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2022

There are conflicting stories about when the ad lib started.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2021

There is a silence in the room and then a babble of ad lib conversation. 9TH JUROR: Please.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

"It's very ad lib. So you're never really able to simulate what's going to happen."

From US News ● Nov. 5, 2015

UK USA UK Jobs in media Deputy Editor - B2C ad lib. this is a great opportunity for a talented deputy…. £20k - £25k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 29, 2010

Senior Digital Project Manager ad lib. this is an incredible opportunity for a talented d…. £35k - £40k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 28, 2010

Digital Communications Executive ad lib. cheltenham, gloucestershire. £22k - £25k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 21, 2010

The chorus part is ad lib., but if properly performed makes a very effective addition to the fairly large orchestra that Mr Holbrooke has scored for.

From Shakespeare and Music by Christopher Wilson

The notion that he’d ad-lib a mention of Harp, or include one in his prepared remarks without thinking through the possible ramifications, strains believability.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Williams was elusive and made some great ad-lib plays down the stretch, and they dominated possession, but allowing big plays cost them dearly.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025

For years, he recalled in his Television Academy Foundation interview, he’d tear out advertisements from Life magazine and, behind a closed bedroom door, he’d ad-lib commercials as he pretended to be on the radio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

I would want to do everything real, and Jonathan would always encourage me to ad-lib and improvise.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

Kids wouldn’t move to the right places during rehearsals, or would ad-lib wisecracks, which Mrs. Finley didn’t think at all funny.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Baron Samedi, a shadowy cane-wielding, top-hatted Haitian voodoo figure, slips in and out of the hubbub, with Leonardo Brito’s performance feeling more ad-libbed by the dancer than astutely choreographed by Ms. García.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

“I was too young to be in the Senate,” he then ad-libbed in a joke, “and too old to be the president.”

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024

With each take, Kelce offered a different ad-libbed comment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Instead of pronouncing the prayer, Francis ad-libbed his speech before the statue of the Madonna and skipped the peace prayer entirely, reciting instead a Hail Mary with young disabled people.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023

“See, because his last name is Gruyère, which is a kind of cheese,” Owen ad-libbed.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

His ad-libbing in the post-kinetic stage isn’t his finest hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

And Jean is somebody who there isn’t really a lot of ad-libbing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024

The Fijians have always been everyone’s favorite longshots at the Rugby World Cup due to the way they play, an inventive, ad-libbing attack-from-anywhere kind of ethos.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2023

He then went further, ad-libbing to suggest that no other world leader would want to change places with Mr. Xi, given the scope of his recent problems.

From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2023

Next thing I know, TJ and I are ad-libbing back and forth in harmony over the chorus.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles