improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
improvises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improvised,
past participle, past
-
improvising
present participle
-
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)
-
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
-
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
-
improvisesimple
-
improvisessimple
-
have improvisedperfect
-
has improvisedperfect
-
am improvisingprogressive
-
are improvisingprogressive
-
is improvisingprogressive
-
have been improvisingperfect progressive
-
has been improvisingperfect progressive
Past
-
improvisedsimple
-
had improvisedperfect
-
was improvisingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
30 GRE Words Beginning with "I"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Stargirl
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Curry paste: A good curry paste is an invitation to improvise.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Like Fielder’s subjects in “The Rehearsal,” I sometimes prepare for complex social situations, because I don’t improvise well when I’m overwhelmed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
He contrasts his freedom to improvise at Deitch with museums’ lengthy planning schedules: “Their shows are seven years out, sometimes. So there’s no room for spontaneity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
As with many new inventions, in order to get the water in and out of the reactor, they have had to improvise.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
We do tend to improvise things like this as we go along, but it is clear that we can pick and choose.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Moore begins with a whisper and builds to a roar as Mona improvises a manic rant that involves rats and the plague.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
But when Cole solos and improvises, it’s more often in single notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
An octet of guest artists improvises in certain passages embedded within the score but also plays written-out music with the rest of the orchestra.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 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
Laura Keene improvises a line that refers to Lincoln, making the audience turn toward the side of the theater in order to witness his appearance.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
When Anthony Ippolito learned Hollywood was planning a new "Rocky"-related film, he rigged up a punching bag in his grandmother's basement and improvised his audition.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
They printed their images in a dark room that Zlozower improvised in a bomb shelter tucked into his parents’ house, then sold the best ones at Aron’s Records on Melrose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
They formed a swarm and communicated by improvised message boards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
LaManna improvised a stand to hold the fragile scroll while rotating it through an X-ray beam.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Nfvea and Severo took Clara to the consulting room that the Rumanian had improvised in his hotel.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
For Leon Berkers, whose restaurant boat has been stuck in the mud for more than a month, adaptation has so far meant improvising fixes to keep "pots and pans from flying around."
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
He sometimes rapped his jokes, thrived at improvising and roasted celebrities with sharp punches, leaving them in splits.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Israeli soldiers in Lebanon said that units were scrambling and were now improvising solutions such as covering military equipment and outposts with nets to trap the drones, a method Ukraine has long relied on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 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
For example, because improvising music is far more complex than imitating basic patterns, the latter is required in order to perform the former.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
