improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
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improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
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improvised,
past participle, past
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improvising
present participle
-
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.
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to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.
We improvised a dinner from yesterday's leftovers.
verb (used without object)
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improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improvised,
past participle, past
-
improvising
present participle
verb
-
to perform or make quickly from materials and sources available, without previous planning
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to perform (a poem, play, piece of music, etc), composing as one goes along
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvisesimple
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improvisessimple
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have improvisedperfect
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has improvisedperfect
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am improvisingprogressive
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are improvisingprogressive
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is improvisingprogressive
-
have been improvisingperfect progressive
-
has been improvisingperfect progressive
Past
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improvisedsimple
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had improvisedperfect
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was improvisingprogressive
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were improvisingprogressive
-
had been improvisingperfect progressive
Future
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)”; see im- 2, proviso
Explanation
To improvise means to make something up on the spot, or figure it out as you go. "Our boss decided to improvise his speech at our company meeting and when he started going off-topic, everyone could tell he hadn't prepared in advance." Improvise comes from the Latin word improvisus, meaning "unforeseen, unexpected." Think about when something unexpected happens to you — you have no choice but to react in the moment, or improvise. Another meaning for improvise refers to acting onstage without a script. When actors improvise scenes for an audience, they create funny situations as they go, without having anything pre-planned. The Second City theater in Chicago made this type of comedy famous, with many well-known alumni like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
Vocabulary lists containing improvise
Music - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Watch the export miracle turn into a pumpkin or improvise.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
It operates within a basic framework, but unlike more rigid European dances, it leaves room to improvise, innovate and take risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The nationwide Canvas outage that disrupted colleges and universities during finals week forced campuses across the country to improvise as faculty and students suddenly lost access to exams, assignments, grades and other course materials.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
Theatergoers have to improvise their own interpretive strategies as the play shifts and shifts again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Katya Polunina, the 586th’s senior mechanic, and her team were soon forced to improvise once the harsh conditions of winter set in.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
But when Cole solos and improvises, it’s more often in single notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Performed in pairs, it is led by the first and most prominent pair which improvises various figures, such as raising joined hands to form bridges under which other dancers can pass.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2024
In one song, “Are You Blue,” O’Hara improvises with the band, her otherworldly soprano a contrast to the splintery score.
From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Starzinski, a 15-year veteran at the Upright Citizens Brigade, improvises jokes through a megaphone and eggs on the cars to keep honking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
“Melvin was in the gifted-and-talented program at his old school,” my mom quickly improvises.
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
He improvised repairs using PVC pipes and kayak paddles to get his boat back on course.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"His captivated, always improvised narration made that show the platonic ideal of natural history for me, and introduced a whole generation to the fascination of birds."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
There was all the improvised art, including the chant that swept the town: “My mayor is Muslim / My bagel is Jewish / My Christian’s Dior / Knicks in four.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
"When an innovation takes such deep root in the lives of children, we cannot make an improvised response," France's high commissioner for children Sarah El Hairy said Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
He improvised an altar in the square and on Sunday he went through the town with a small bell, as in the days of insomnia, calling people to an open-air mass.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
He sometimes rapped his jokes, thrived at improvising and roasted celebrities with sharp punches, leaving them in splits.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
At times, the piano players in his groups would simply back off during part of Rollins’ solos, loath to risk following the twisting pathways of his improvising.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
When director Robert Vince was filming "Air Bud Returns," he was impressed to see Roscoe, his four-legged star, improvising concern in a scene where two humans burst into tears.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Greek yogurt is one of the few ingredients that has matched my energy in the kitchen: constantly improvising, making it work with what I got, and never letting things go to waste.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
“This was a blessing in disguise,” Dad continued, but from Mom’s glance at him, I saw that he had gone off-script and was improvising.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
