improvise

American

[im-pruh-vahyz] / ˈɪm prəˌvaɪz /

verb (used with object)

improvised, improvising

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.
to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.

We improvised a dinner from yesterday's leftovers.

verb (used without object)

improvised, improvising

to compose, utter, execute, or arrange anything extemporaneously.

When the actor forgot his lines he had to improvise.

improvise British

/ ˈɪmprəˌvaɪz /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

improviser noun
improvisor noun

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)”; im- ², proviso

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.

Smartphones are not meant to be out in UK classrooms either, but with no national rules on where they should be the rest of the day, schools and teachers are left to improvise.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

One kind and patient spectator conscripted to play the school counselor had to remove her shoe to improvise a sock puppet, one of the tools of her empathetic practice.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

In war-devastated Gaza, where construction materials are scarce, Ayub had to improvise to build his small training facility.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

There’s a satisfaction in the challenge, in proving to myself that I can stretch ingredients, improvise a meal, and still feel taken care of.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

Since there is no restriction tying the singer to a “fixed” notation, children are free to just imitate or to explore, improvise and play with the sound.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023