improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
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to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; extemporize.
to improvise an acceptance speech.
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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)
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
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.
As a lifelong dancer, I’ve always appreciated the value of learning choreography before improvising.
From Salon
Further requirements for the Father Christmas role generally include infinite patience, an ability to improvise, and tolerance for repetition.
From BBC
Naturally, some of the ideas Moore was listening to on these records and seeing in clubs on the Lower East Side began to shape his own understanding of improvised music.
From Los Angeles Times
Much of the deadpan dialogue was improvised and the film became a cult classic, coining phrases such as "turn it up to eleven".
From BBC
Reiner led the creation of a 40-page document to prepare for the production, but realized that the only way to capture a documentary feel in the movie was to improvise on camera.
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.
