as in improvised
to perform, make, or do without preparation
had to ad-lib constructing a piñata because she'd never actually seen it being done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ad-libbed
Verb
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The hunter improvised a sleeping bag using a mylar rescue blanket and tarp, rescuers said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
22 Sep. 2025 -
The works of Rower’s grandfather, taken together, have an accidental, artisanal air—more like toys improvised and reassembled than objects weighed down by deliberation.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Swartz concocted this massive blockbuster trade idea, which sends Brown to his hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Prosecutors and defense attorneys were scheduled to begin opening arguments on whether the death of a 7-year-old girl in February 2017 was a medical tragedy or the result of a murder plot concocted by her father — a former Phoenix police detective — and his Australian wife.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The master bedroom is drenched in Dulux Heritage’s Biscuit Beige for maximum warmth, and the bed was crafted by a local joiner before being painted by William Sutherland, one of the estate’s members, using folkloric stencils devised by resident designer, Bethany Evans.—
Chloe Frost-Smith,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
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Martínez, however, theorizes that Cleopatra may have devised a secret alternative plan for her burial with Antony so that the Romans would not find their bodies.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The cops theorize that Daniel siphoned off the money into his own account and faked his death, with plans to escape with the cash.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 Sep. 2025
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Courtland Sutton ate up his defender’s cushion, faked inside and then raced up the field.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ad-libbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-libbed. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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