improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
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.
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
“We would improvise a lot, so we always had the rules as a guidance.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 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
A shortage of massive holiday lawn ornaments at Home Depot is forcing would-be Clark Griswolds to improvise.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
Singers in training spent a lot of time learning to improvise with these syllables.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
