improvise

[ im-pruh-vahyz ]

/ ˈɪm prəˌvaɪz /

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See synonyms for: improvise / improvised / improvising 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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM improvise

im·pro·vis·er, im·pro·vi·sor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use improvise in a sentence

If you’re a knitter, you can make one yourself, and if you’re not, you can buy one online or even improvise one with a couple of paperclips.
The best ways to stop a mask from fogging up your glasses, ranked|Sandra Gutierrez G.|November 18, 2020|Popular-Science
So when New York’s lockdown restrictions hit in mid-March, we were forced to improvise.
How a funeral inspired the pandemic’s hottest hardware|Daniel Bentley|October 18, 2020|Fortune
This makes sense, since improvised performance requires you to come up with new material in a rapid stream, and deploy it just as quickly for a listening or watching audience.
The Neurology of Flow States - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Heather Berlin|October 14, 2020|Nautilus
The ability to improvise requires cognitive flexibility, divergent thinking and discipline-specific skills, and it improves with training.
The Neurology of Flow States - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Heather Berlin|October 14, 2020|Nautilus

Howard Hicks, general manager of the Green Lantern, said they are looking into buying tents and heating lamps for their improvised patio area.
Bars brace for COVID winter|Parker Purifoy|October 9, 2020|Washington Blade
At times, it even seemed as if this remarkable improviser had said everything he could possibly say on the horn.
What if Jazz Giant John Coltrane Had Lived?|Ted Gioia|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or, in their words, the “independent tomboy improviser girl.”
Behind ‘Broad City’: Amy Poehler’s Girls of Comedy|Abby Haglage|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But if he did very well as a reader on Thursday, he fared much worse as an improviser two days earlier.
Bush is Broken, Frightened, And Plagued By Voices|Justin Frank|January 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
As a listener my Philosopher is no less successful than as an improviser.
By the Christmas Fire|Samuel McChord Crothers
Amateur and improviser of genius, let us praise him as such.
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened|Kenelm Digby
Theodore Hook stands almost alone in this country as an improviser.
The Wits and Beaux of Society|Grace & Philip Wharton
He wrote straight off as he improvised, and in truth he seems to have been the greatest improviser that ever was.
Handel|Romain Rolland
He works with great ease, and is a ready improviser; but he never writes against his inclination.
Methods of Authors|Hugo Erichsen

British Dictionary definitions for improvise

improvise

/ (ˈɪmprəˌvaɪz) /

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 forms of improvise

improviser, 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

improvise

Origin of improvise

OTHER WORDS FROM improvise

Words related to improvise

How to use improvise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for improvise

Derived forms of improvise

Word Origin for improvise