improv
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of improv
By shortening
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.
Between big outdoor shows, theaters and intimate club gigs, the seven day smorgasboard of stand-up, improv, variety shows, marathons and more was a wild ride we won’t soon forget.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Although he’s made his mark online, Anderson studied theater in college and did sketch improv in Chicago before moving to New York.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
She came up in the world of Toronto’s Second City improv, working as an understudy for Gilda Radner, one of the original seven “Saturday Night Live” cast members.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Fred, a close friend who was also in a campus improv group, and I read our material out loud to each other.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025
Mother was going to perform what is known in the improv world as a Harold.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
