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• ad lib
  ad lib

  noun

  something improvised in speech, music, etc..
• ad lib.
  ad lib.

  abbreviation

  ad libitum.
• ad-lib
  ad-lib

  verb (used with object)

  to improvise all or part of (a speech, a piece of music, etc.).

ad lib

¹ American  

[ad lib, ad] / æd ˈlɪb, ˈæd /

noun

1. something improvised in speech, music, etc..

   Was that joke part of your speech or an ad lib?

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adverb

1. at one's pleasure; without restriction.

2. freely; as needed; without stint.

   Water can be given to the patients ad lib.

ad lib. ² American  

abbreviation

1. ad libitum.

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ad-lib ³ American  

[ad-lib, ad-] / ædˈlɪb, ˈæd- /

verb (used with object)

ad-libbed, ad-libbing

1. to improvise all or part of (a speech, a piece of music, etc.).

   to ad-lib one's lines.

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verb (used without object)

ad-libbed, ad-libbing

1. to act, speak, etc., without preparation.

   Throughout the play he had to ad-lib constantly.

adjective

1. impromptu; extemporaneous.

   ad-lib remarks to hecklers.

ad-lib British  

/ ædˈlɪb /

verb

1. to improvise and deliver without preparation (a speech, musical performance, etc)

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adjective

1. improvised; impromptu

adverb

1. without restraint; freely

2. music short for ad libitum

noun

1. an improvised performance, often humorous

Other Word Forms

• ad-libber
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ad lib¹

First recorded in 1810–20; see origin at ad libitum

Origin of ad-lib³

1915–20, v. use of ad lib

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ad lib ad lib. ad-lib ad-libbed ad-libbing

But she is keen to clear something up about possibly her most famous ad lib - "enter" - which she often used to hype up the energy during live performances.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

“It’s a spill-your-guts-out record,” she says, adding that for every song, she’d write a first verse, then ad lib the rest in the studio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

Williams says working on the show was fun because of the cast chemistry, and the license to ad lib at times to make scenes funnier felt “very fulfilling.”

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2023

Sure enough, after three months, the mice who ate ad lib were stricken with obesity, diabetes, liver disease, and a host of other ugly conditions.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2022

There is a silence in the room and then a babble of ad lib conversation. 9TH JUROR: Please.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

"It's very ad lib. So you're never really able to simulate what's going to happen."

From US News ● Nov. 5, 2015

Senior Account Manager - Digital Marketing Agency ad lib. windsor, berkshire. £27k - £35k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 31, 2010

UK USA UK Jobs in media Deputy Editor - B2C ad lib. this is a great opportunity for a talented deputy…. £20k - £25k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 29, 2010

Digital Communications Executive ad lib. cheltenham, gloucestershire. £22k - £25k.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 21, 2010

Both Kaisers praising each other and distributing iron crosses ad lib., early though it be in the day.

From A War-time Journal, Germany 1914 and German Travel Notes by Jephson, Harriet Julia Campbell, Lady

Williams was elusive and made some great ad-lib plays down the stretch, and they dominated possession, but allowing big plays cost them dearly.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025

What did you think when Karol G did your signature “whoa” ad-lib in the song?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

I would want to do everything real, and Jonathan would always encourage me to ad-lib and improvise.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

Whether this comment is a favored ad-lib or something his speechwriters cooked up, it needs to go, immediately.

From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2024

Kids wouldn’t move to the right places during rehearsals, or would ad-lib wisecracks, which Mrs. Finley didn’t think at all funny.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Rogen and Franco ad-libbed, drew out the best in their fellow actors and made the rest of the room feel as if they were part of their joyous adventure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

“I was too young to be in the Senate,” he then ad-libbed in a joke, “and too old to be the president.”

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024

With each take, Kelce offered a different ad-libbed comment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Instead of pronouncing the prayer, Francis ad-libbed his speech before the statue of the Madonna and skipped the peace prayer entirely, reciting instead a Hail Mary with young disabled people.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023

Using an outline updating the 1938 script, the station’s deejay and news reporters ad-libbed eyewitness accounts of a Martian attack.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Last time the World Cup came to these shores, in 1994, the draw was held in Las Vegas and Robin Williams stole the show by ad-libbing on stage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

And sometimes that means you need to do a little bit of rewriting, ad-libbing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2023

He then went further, ad-libbing to suggest that no other world leader would want to change places with Mr. Xi, given the scope of his recent problems.

From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2023

He points out actors’ performances and ad-libbing, costuming, make-up and visual effects design heightening the humor; and he regrets cutting lots of stuff in scenes due to lack of final run time.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 29, 2023

They talk about their parts, sometimes even ad-libbing lines that are not in the script.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove