extemporize

[ ik-stem-puh-rahyz ]

/ ɪkˈstɛm pəˌraɪz /

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See synonyms for: extemporize / extemporized / extemporization on Thesaurus.com

Definition of extemporize

verb (used without object), ex·tem·po·rized, ex·tem·po·riz·ing.

to speak extemporaneously: He can extemporize on any of a number of subjects.

to sing, or play on an instrument, composing the music as one proceeds; improvise.

to do or manage something in a makeshift way.

verb (used with object), ex·tem·po·rized, ex·tem·po·riz·ing.

to make or devise extempore.

Music. to compose offhand; improvise.

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Also especially British, ex·tem·po·rise .

Origin of extemporize

First recorded in 1635–45; extempore + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM extemporize

ex·tem·po·ri·za·tion, nounex·tem·po·riz·er, noun

Words nearby extemporize

extemporal, extemporaneous, extemporaneously, extemporary, extempore, extemporize, extend, extend credit to, extended, extended care, extended complex plane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use extemporize in a sentence

The small jelly-speck, which we call the amœba, has no organs save what it can extemporize as occasion arises.
Evolution, Old & New|Samuel Butler
If you extemporize you can get much closer to your audience.
The Art of Public Speaking|Dale Carnagey (AKA Dale Carnegie) and J. Berg Esenwein
I have known but one other person besides Hook, who could extemporize in English; and he wanted the confidence to do it in public.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.|Various
Yet another use, on which much ingenuity was expended in the 18th century, is to extemporize retrenchments.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various

My saddle, a hunting one, could not be kept in place, and we had to extemporize a breast-plate with string.
At the Court of the Amr|John Alfred Gray

British Dictionary definitions for extemporize

extemporize

extemporise

/ (ɪkˈstɛmpəˌraɪz) /

verb

to perform, speak, or compose (an act, speech, piece of music, etc) without planning or preparation

to use (a temporary solution) for an immediate need; improvise

Derived forms of extemporize

extemporization or extemporisation, nounextemporizer or extemporiser, noun

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

extemporize

Definition of extemporize

Origin of extemporize

OTHER WORDS FROM extemporize

Words nearby extemporize

Words related to extemporize

How to use extemporize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for extemporize

extemporise

Derived forms of extemporize