✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

improv

adjective

im·​prov ˈim-ˌpräv How to pronounce improv (audio)
: of, relating to, or being improvisation and especially an improvised comedy routine
improv noun

Examples of improv in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Turns out this was typical and not improv work. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025 Zeitgeist On Friday nights, catch an improv comedy show put on by Renegade at Zeitgeist. Jacqueline Kehoe, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025 The show, starring Zack Mast and Stephen Winchell (both veterans of Chicago’s comedy and improv community), looked back on the early years of their TV pairing. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 23 Nov. 2025 Interviewees like Adam Pally and Ilana Glazer leaned into their discomfort for comic effect like willing participants in an improv game, and others, like Chet Hanks, simply doubled down when asked about their faux pas. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for improv

Word History

Etymology

short for improvisation

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of improv was in 1978

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Improv.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improv. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on improv

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!