improvise

[im-pruh-vahyz]

See more synonyms for improvise on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), im·pro·vised, im·pro·vis·ing.

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), im·pro·vised, im·pro·vis·ing.

to compose, utter, execute, or arrange anything extemporaneously: When the actor forgot his lines he had to improvise.

Origin of improvise

1820–30; < French improviser, or its source, Italian improvisare (later improvvisare), verbal derivative of improviso improvised < Latin imprōvīsus, equivalent to im- im-² + prōvīsus past participle of prōvidēre to see beforehand, prepare, provide for (a future circumstance). See proviso

Related formsim·pro·vis·er, im·pro·vi·sor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for improvise

concoct, devise, ad-lib, contrive, invent, brainstorm, jam, spark, extemporize, coin, fake, slapdash, improv

Examples from the Web for improvise

Contemporary Examples of improvise

But I will say the hardest to play for me—well, one of the easiest to improvise, but also the hardest character is Liz.
The Zany Shades of Nick Kroll
Abby Haglage
December 15, 2014
We had to improvise a little bit to make this position work, but it paid off in the end.
I Tried Cosmo’s New Lesbian Sex Tips
Samantha Allen
November 18, 2014
A shortage of pentobarbital has forced some states to improvise, often with gruesome consequences.
Pennsylvania’s Lethal Injection Fiasco
Christopher Moraff
September 18, 2014
The Click & Style is easy to talk about because I use it so much, so it was easy to improvise on set.
How 'The Mindy Project' Star Adam Pally Became Hollywood's Go-To 'Bro'
Kevin Fallon
August 6, 2014
“We had to improvise,” Yehudit Ayalon, who began working 10-hour shifts in the factory at age 19, told Haaretz last year.
Israel Had a Secret, Underground Bullet Factory
Nina Strochlic
July 18, 2014

Historical Examples of improvise

In cloudy weather you can improvise a game on the dining-room table.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
But best of all were the evenings when the Marquis chose to improvise.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
We found out about your invention only at the last moment and therefore had to improvise.
Forever
Robert Sheckley
The easiest stretcher for a scout to improvise is the coat stretcher.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
And you shall see, too, what a lawyer-like defence I am able to improvise.
Debts of Honor
Maurus Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for improvise

improvise

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

Derived Formsimproviser, noun

Word Origin for improvise

C19: from French, from Italian improvvisare, from Latin imprōvīsus unforeseen, from im- (not) + prōvīsus, from prōvidēre to foresee; see provide

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

Word Origin and History for improvise

1826, back-formation from improvisation, or else from French improviser (17c.), from Italian improvisare "to sing or speak extempore," from improviso, from Latin improvisus "unforeseen, unexpected" (see improvisation). Or possibly a back-formation from improvisation. Related: Improvised; improvising.