extemporize

[ ik-stem-puh-rahyz ]

/ ɪkˈstɛm pəˌraɪz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extemporize ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

devise, ad-lib, invent

Nearby words

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

Origin of extemporize

First recorded in 1635–45; extempore + -ize

Related formsex·tem·po·ri·za·tion, nounex·tem·po·riz·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for extemporize

I was in the vein to extemporize successfully, and felt that I did so.
Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Italy and Switzerland|Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
They could extemporize board and men, but how to raise the bits of ivory?
Bits of Blarney|R. Shelton Mackenzie
Being a victim of the unforeseen, no choice remains to me; I must extemporize.
'Neath Verdun, August-October, 1914|Maurice Genevoix
When I appeared to extemporize, I was again enthusiastically received.
Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Italy and Switzerland|Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

I used to learn the songs by heart and invent and extemporize tunes for them.
My Boyhood|John Burroughs

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 Formsextemporization 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

Word Origin and History for extemporize

extemporize

1640s (implied in extemporizing), "to speak ex tempore;" see extempore + -ize. Related: Extemporized.