extemporize
Americanverb (used without object)
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to speak extemporaneously.
He can extemporize on any of a number of subjects.
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to sing, or play on an instrument, composing the music as one proceeds; improvise.
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to do or manage something in a makeshift way.
verb (used with object)
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to make or devise extempore.
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Music. to compose offhand; improvise.
verb
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to perform, speak, or compose (an act, speech, piece of music, etc) without planning or preparation
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to use (a temporary solution) for an immediate need; improvise
Other Word Forms
- extemporization noun
- extemporizer noun
Etymology
Origin of extemporize
Explanation
To extemporize is to improvise, especially without preparation. When you extemporize, you’re making it up as you go along. In some situations, you’re prepared and know exactly what you’re going to do. In others, you have to extemporize. A stand-up comedian who makes up jokes on the spot is extemporizing. If a football play breaks down, the quarterback has to scramble and extemporize by coming up with a new play. A public speaker who throws away notes and takes questions is extemporizing. Jazz musicians often extemporize. When you extemporize, even you’re not sure what you might end up doing.
Vocabulary lists containing extemporize
The Great Gatsby
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It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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The Bluest Eye
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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.
Sensing an opportunity to extemporize, he looked around the chamber, pleased.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2023
People who loved it connected to its weirdness; art nerds who favor turtlenecks and superfluous scarves could extemporize about the various scenes and passages inspired by masterworks of the renaissance.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2020
Apparently the idea was to extemporize on some issues that had come up during the performance.
From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2016
It taught children to debate, extemporize, and advocate for themselves, and it helped them develop the vocabulary that tends to reap academic rewards.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 5, 2015
The old man turned back to his wagon and began to extemporize.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
