as in improvising
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-libbing
Verb
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In the Adams formulation, the true history was about chance, contingency, and unintended consequences, about political leaders who were all improvising on the edge of catastrophe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025 -
To confront it, community members are building new institutions underground and improvising new forms of social life.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For 39 years, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has required redistricting institutions to consider racial and ethnic minority representation when devising congressional districts.—
Sam D. Hayes,
The Conversation,
13 Oct. 2025
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The problem in devising such a tax is defining what constitutes a robot.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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China has also been concocting a pretext for action.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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But in the late 1800s, food companies began concocting products that were wildly different from anything people could make themselves.—
Alice Callahan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Recent reports that a number of current and former NBA players were allegedly faking injuries and trading inside information with crooked gamblers has left sports fans and media reeling.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Pastrnak double-clutched, faking the slapper, and appeared to have missed his shot.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ad-libbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-libbing. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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