definitions

ad-lib

[ ad-lib, ad- ]
/ ædˈlɪb, ˈæd- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ad-lib ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ad-libbed, ad-lib·bing.

to improvise all or part of (a speech, a piece of music, etc.): to ad-lib one's lines.

verb (used without object), ad-libbed, ad-lib·bing.

to act, speak, etc., without preparation: Throughout the play he had to ad-lib constantly.

adjective

impromptu; extemporaneous: ad-lib remarks to hecklers.

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RELATED WORDS

improvise, extemporize, impromptu, improvised, invent, extemporaneous, extempore, made-up, spontaneous, unprepared, unrehearsed, off-the-cuff, extemporaneously, spontaneously

Nearby words

ad valorem tax, ad verbum, ad vitam, ad vivum, ad-, ad-lib, ad., ada, ada deficiency, adabazar, adactylous

Origin of ad-lib

1915–20, Americanism; v. use of ad lib

Related forms

ad-lib·ber, noun

Definition for ad-lib (2 of 3)

ad lib

[ ad lib, ad ]
/ æd ˈlɪb, ˈæd /

noun

something improvised in speech, music, etc.: Was that joke part of your speech or an ad lib?

adverb

at one's pleasure; without restriction.
freely; as needed; without stint: Water can be given to the patients ad lib.

Origin of ad lib

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

Definition for ad-lib (3 of 3)

ad lib.

ad libitum.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ad-lib

British Dictionary definitions for ad-lib

Derived Forms

ad-libber, noun

Word Origin for ad-lib

C18: short for Latin ad libitum, literally: according to pleasure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for ad-lib

ad lib.

abbr.

ad libitum (freely, as desired)
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.