improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
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improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
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improvised,
past participle, past
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improvising
present participle
-
to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; extemporize.
to improvise an acceptance speech.
-
to compose, play, recite, or sing (verse, music, etc.) on the spur of the moment.
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to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.
We improvised a dinner from yesterday's leftovers.
verb (used without object)
-
improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improvised,
past participle, past
-
improvising
present participle
verb
-
to perform or make quickly from materials and sources available, without previous planning
-
to perform (a poem, play, piece of music, etc), composing as one goes along
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvisesimple
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improvisessimple
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have improvisedperfect
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has improvisedperfect
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am improvisingprogressive
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are improvisingprogressive
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is improvisingprogressive
-
have been improvisingperfect progressive
-
has been improvisingperfect progressive
Past
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improvisedsimple
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had improvisedperfect
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was improvisingprogressive
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were improvisingprogressive
-
had been improvisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of improvise
First recorded in 1820–30; from French improviser, or its source, Italian improvisare (later improvvisare ), verbal derivative of improviso “improvised,” from Latin imprōvīsus, equivalent to im- “un-” + prōvīsus, past participle of prōvidēre “to see beforehand, prepare, provide for (a future circumstance)”; see im- 2, proviso
Explanation
To improvise means to make something up on the spot, or figure it out as you go. "Our boss decided to improvise his speech at our company meeting and when he started going off-topic, everyone could tell he hadn't prepared in advance." Improvise comes from the Latin word improvisus, meaning "unforeseen, unexpected." Think about when something unexpected happens to you — you have no choice but to react in the moment, or improvise. Another meaning for improvise refers to acting onstage without a script. When actors improvise scenes for an audience, they create funny situations as they go, without having anything pre-planned. The Second City theater in Chicago made this type of comedy famous, with many well-known alumni like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
Vocabulary lists containing improvise
Music - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
His ability to improvise instantly when he senses a defender closing in is the best magic act in the South Bay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Watch the export miracle turn into a pumpkin or improvise.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
This season is less about surviving on a student budget and more about helping home cooks waste less, improvise more and look at what’s already in the fridge or pantry with confidence.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
As producer he helps the children prepare for interviews and research their guests, but encourages them to improvise and follow the direction of an interview rather than sticking to a set script.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The Thenns had no family arms as was customary amongst the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, so Jon told the stewards to improvise.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
“But she’s not a scat singer. She improvises more in the technique of the Baroque period, expanding and contracting phrases or adding trills that deviate from the melody.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
An octet of guest artists improvises in certain passages embedded within the score but also plays written-out music with the rest of the orchestra.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
Starzinski, a 15-year veteran at the Upright Citizens Brigade, improvises jokes through a megaphone and eggs on the cars to keep honking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
Gilles improvises; not knowing a lick of Persian, he invents words, eventually using the names of prisoners kept in a logbook as mnemonic devices to develop his fictional tongue.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
Laura Keene improvises a line that refers to Lincoln, making the audience turn toward the side of the theater in order to witness his appearance.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
It was improvised, deeply untraditional and exactly the kind of stuffing I wanted to eat again.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Officials explained that such eggs were often smuggled in improvised incubators and in conditions that endangered the welfare of developing embryos and hatchlings.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
A new study led by researchers at the University of Bologna suggests that the markings were far more organized than simple scratches or improvised decorations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Unlike in 1986, when many of the artifacts, especially the elephant tusks, decomposed after being exposed to the open air, Ran improvised a new system for the dig.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
They poured out of their corner toward the improvised barricade.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
There’s an inventiveness here that comes from the sprawl of the city — artists like myself who are constantly improvising, building their own ecosystems because nothing is handed to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Young men, some barefoot, dart around in the sand under the guidance of a volunteer coach improvising drills amid the shouts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Greek yogurt is one of the few ingredients that has matched my energy in the kitchen: constantly improvising, making it work with what I got, and never letting things go to waste.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
Elite teams managed by him maintain an ideal combination of intelligence within structure, and he has players capable of improvising solutions when patterns break down.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Tools for emergency, tow lines, a small block and tackle, a trenching tool and crowbar, tools for making and fixing and improvising.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
