improvise
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.
to compose, utter, execute, or arrange anything extemporaneously: When the actor forgot his lines he had to improvise.
Origin of improvise
1Other words from improvise
- im·pro·vis·er, im·pro·vi·sor, noun
Words Nearby improvise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use improvise in a sentence
Whether you forget to pack your tent guy line, or you are improvising a tarp shelter from a scrap of parachute or sail cloth, this strong cord will help you build a dependable structure.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways | By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life | September 15, 2020 | Popular-ScienceBoth major parties had to improvise on the traditional convention playbook because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, holding nearly all-virtual gatherings instead.
The GOP Convention Violated Plenty Of Norms, But Did It Undermine Democratic Values? | Julia Azari | September 1, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThey are do-it-yourself “hacks” improvised by ordinary folks using whatever materials they have on hand.
Michelangelo vs. MacGyver: Who will design the offices of our post-COVID future? | claychandler | September 1, 2020 | FortuneOur grand, improvised remote work experiment has taught us so much, there's simply no better time than now to adapt your business processes and culture to this new opportunity.
Going all-in on remote work: The technical and cultural changes | Lee Hutchinson | August 28, 2020 | Ars TechnicaThe Orioles’ strength and conditioning staff helped players construct improvised weight-training equipment for those with limited means or without access to gyms, he added.
What A Year Off Might Do To Baseball Players’ Skills | Travis Sawchik | July 31, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
But I will say the hardest to play for me—well, one of the easiest to improvise, but also the hardest character is Liz.
We had to improvise a little bit to make this position work, but it paid off in the end.
A shortage of pentobarbital has forced some states to improvise, often with gruesome consequences.
I heard writer Justin Lader wrote 50 pages of suggested script for The One I Love and let the actors improvise the rest.
Is Elisabeth Moss the One 'True Detective' Loves? She Doesn't Deny It. | Melissa Leon | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Click & Style is easy to talk about because I use it so much, so it was easy to improvise on set.
How 'The Mindy Project' Star Adam Pally Became Hollywood's Go-To 'Bro' | Kevin Fallon | August 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHospital trains they could improvise out of what rolling stock remained to them.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts RinehartChopin at once went to the piano, and invited those present to give him a theme to improvise upon.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician | Frederick NiecksOn catching him I found that he had somehow severed an artery in his tail, and I had to improvise a tourniquet to stop the flow.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthurHaving shipped the last article, I returned into the brake, seeking something from which to improvise a paddle.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose BierceBritain, on the other hand, has had to improvise her war organisation since war has been actually forced on her.
The Romance of the Red Triangle | Arthur Keysall Yapp
British Dictionary definitions for improvise
/ (ˈɪmprəˌvaɪz) /
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
Origin of improvise
1Derived forms of improvise
- improviser, noun
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
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