ad-lib 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of ad-libnext
as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation not bad for an ad-lib comedy routine

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ad-lib

2 of 3

noun

as in improvisation
something that is performed, made, or done without preparation you would never suspect that that stirring speech was an ad-lib

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ad-lib

3 of 3

verb

ˈad-ˈlib How to pronounce ad-lib (audio)
as in to improvise
to perform, make, or do without preparation had to ad-lib constructing a piñata because she'd never actually seen it being done

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ad-lib
Adjective
But that moment, that is an ad-lib because the line was [supposed to be] very calm. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026 Larkin doesn’t ad-lib too much. — Michael Russo, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Verb
As seen in a video clip uploaded to the official Oscars YouTube channel, his ad-lib received applause from the audience in the room, but the Academy ultimately excluded the Chicago actor from presenting at the ceremony for several years. — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Dec. 2025 Puzzled, Aggie climbs the stairs and — as Nile continues to ad-lib — finds Teddy, dead, suffocated with a bag, in Cooper’s room, which is decked out to match the live feed. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ad-lib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ad-lib
  1. impromptu
  2. improvisation
  3. improvise
  4. improvisational
  5. devise
  6. improvised
  7. concoct
  8. extemporize
Adjective
  • With no timeouts, the Raiders rushed to the line and O’Connell, with help from an impromptu tush-push from Chris Myarick, took it across the goal line with 14 seconds left.
    — Sam Warren, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The frequent gatherings are often impromptu affairs, sometimes with a singular ingredient sparking the idea.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of impromptu
Noun
  • Keep the promise that matters, then leave room for improvisation.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The wiser course now is not another round of constitutional improvisation.
    — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of improvisation
Verb
  • So along Dandora’s drainage channels and on the edges of busy roads, children improvise.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Caught unprepared for chemical warfare and lacking standard-issue gas masks, Allied soldiers improvised by covering their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs or pieces of cloth drenched in water or urine.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of improvise
Adjective
  • McCollough thought Watts was a comedic genius, and the pair shared a similar sense of humor, establishing their own bits and improvisational riffs.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • This reflects the improvisational attitude that Pan, who has released several albums, first developed as a genre-defying musician and composer.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 31 July 2026
Definition of improvisational
Verb
  • So in classic spy fashion, the group devised secret codes to communicate with one another, hidden in plain sight, so the KGB would be none the wiser — using series of notes embedded in their sheet music.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.
    — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of devise
Adjective
  • That's enough to loosen steep slopes where some of the 210,000 islanders live off the grid in improvised housing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Forecasters warn that up to 25 inches of rain and powerful winds could trigger life-threatening flooding, mudslides and even wildfires, especially in remote communities where many residents live off the grid in improvised housing.
    — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of improvised
Verb
  • In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The removal of Maelor, however, snowballed into this moment where that character’s absence didn’t allow for that horrific book moment to be realized, so another set of reasons was concocted.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of concoct
Verb
  • The future, instead, seems to belong to the teams and coaches who are willing to be a little more flexible and see their role as providing a platform on which their players might extemporize.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Friends said he was talented and could extemporize about anything.
    — Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2023
Definition of extemporize

Browse Nearby Words

adjuvant
ad-lib
ad-libbed
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Cite this Entry

“Ad-lib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-lib. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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