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.
He told Vanity Fair it was the hardest role he had played because he didn't have the "ability to improv and be spontaneous".
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
"I've been doing sketch, character comedy and improv since university," said Sidi, who recently toured a show that saw her play former civil servant Sue Gray.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 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
Once we nailed the first “scenario,” pure improv took over, with Asif and Sagaar seamlessly falling into the mock-conflict of their on-screen characters; hence, Asif being hoisted 3 feet in the air.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
He spent part of a summer at the drama school at Northwestern, where the program included a three-day-a-week, three-hour improv session with Dawn Mora, a venerated instructor.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
