improvise
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
-
to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.
We improvised a dinner from yesterday's leftovers.
verb (used without object)
verb
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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
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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
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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
Celenza says that “the best, most resourceful” home cooks are the ones that are willing to improvise.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
As producer he helps the children prepare for interviews and research their guests, but encourages them to improvise and follow the direction of an interview rather than sticking to a set script.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Those that stonewall or improvise under pressure prolong the damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Singers in training spent a lot of time learning to improvise with these syllables.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
But when Cole solos and improvises, it’s more often in single notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
The animatronic improvises in conversation based on a story outline written by Woliner and Notarnicola.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
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
She improvises with video calls, but knows other women have lost jobs because they cannot work effectively.
From Reuters ● Mar. 23, 2023
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
The composer improvised his way through the initial stages of “Pray for a Storm,” his high-energy collaboration with famed drummer Stewart Copeland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Helicopters carrying aid have landed at the improvised hospital and those who lost their homes during the quake are being provided with food, water and clothes.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 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
They lit a few improvised lamps made of tin cans filled with gasoline and a smoky wick.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
He sometimes rapped his jokes, thrived at improvising and roasted celebrities with sharp punches, leaving them in splits.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
He liked to play loudly, for many hours at a time, improvising ceaseless and whipsawing sagas of frenetic melodies and emphatic blaring and screeching—it was a whole lot of sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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.
