ad lib
[ ad -lib, ad ]
/ æd ˈlɪb, ˈæd /
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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.
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Origin of ad lib
First recorded in 1810–20; see origin at ad libitum
Definition for ad lib (2 of 3)
ad-lib
[ ad-lib, ad- ]
/ ædˈlɪb, ˈæd- /
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.
Origin of ad-lib
1915–20, Americanism; v. use of ad lib
OTHER WORDS FROM ad-lib
ad-libber, nounDefinition for ad lib (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for ad lib
British Dictionary definitions for ad lib
Derived forms of ad-lib
ad-libber, nounWord 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
Medical 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.