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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

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

In the verse, you sing “Soul really matters to me,” and in the second verse, you follow that with an ad lib, “Too much.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2022

We shoot six episodes a day and they just fly along because it’s all ad lib.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

Dad had a good sense of theater, and he’d try to time this apparent ad lib so that it would coincide with the change in traffic.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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

From US News ● Nov. 5, 2015

Senior Account Manager - Digital Marketing Agency ad lib. windsor, berkshire. £27k - £35k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 31, 2010

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

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 Wilson, Christopher

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

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

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

There’s literally an ad-lib, which is a no-no with August Wilson, that Boy Willie says to his niece, “You feel that? That’s your family, that’s your blood.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024

The speech isn’t something he can ad-lib or pull from memory, hence the notes, and he’d never use a PowerPoint presentation.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

You’ll feel free to ad-lib in the confidence that you can return to your thread.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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

But the real surprise came when the actor ad-libbed for the camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 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

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

“It’s made me less precious about my performance. I’m more willing to fail and be messy,” said Snook, who, like Macfadyen, faces the added challenge of ad-libbing in her nonnative accent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 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

He points out actors’ performances and ad-libbing, costuming, make-up and visual effects design heightening the humor; and he regrets cutting lots of stuff in scenes due to lack of final run time.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 29, 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