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.
His teacher advised him to check out the renowned improv troupe Second City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“I cared about improv so much that I wasn’t not going to do my homework,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Trust in science has plummeted—and Alan Alda thinks improv can turn the tide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
It was part of an improv exercise aimed at helping scientists amp up their presentations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
It’s an improv exercise where two actors are acting in a scene and someone from the audience calls out, “Freeze!”
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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.
