Definition of extemporizenext
as in to improvise
to perform, make, or do without preparation a good talk show host has to be able to extemporize the interviews when things don't go as planned

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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 extemporize 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 Feel free to extemporize, enthuse and connect with people, rather than overwork the data. Palena Neale, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 In public appearances, Emanuel likes to extemporize, cajole, and find a connection. Connie Bruck, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2021 That meant players were able to extemporize, to take chances without being accused of departing too far from the team playbook. San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extemporize
Verb
  • Often unfurling over the course of entire afternoons and evenings, González’s knotty, hypnotic works typically test the expectations (and patience) of viewers, who are left to figure out what’s improvised and what isn’t.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Disaster recovery finally becomes a real program For decades, the federal government’s response to providing long-term rebuilding funds in the wake of a disaster has been improvised.
    Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Advertisement As Claude began completing such tasks too reliably to reveal much, Freeman devised a test closer to the messiness of the real world.
    Harry Booth, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In Ukraine, Washington may have waited too long to devise a strategy for ending the war.
    Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Like, for instance, Loughlin, who paid Singer $500,000 to concoct fake row team credentials — and even stage phony rowing photos — to get her two daughters into USC.
    Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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