improvise
verb (used with object)
to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; extemporize.
are improvising
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present progressiveof improvise.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
Their use shows how lessons from the war in Ukraine are reverberating on distant fronts such as Pakistan, where security forces are improvising new defences against Islamist insurgents armed with the cheap, easily obtainable devices.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Kiley’s impromptu tour is an example of how members of California’s congressional delegation are improvising their routines as the shutdown drags on and most of Washington remains at a standstill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
"What we do isn't jazz as such, but we are improvising and that's very jazz-like," said Davis, who now lives just the other side of the Severn Bridge.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024
Instead, they are improvising as they go, figuring out a way to say “yes,” but only after a period of study and an opportunity to see if there might be a better way.
From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2017
So she wheels over to the auditorium, where about 30 disabled students, also stymied by the broken elevator, are improvising a gym class.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2010
