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
  • The two did a great job improvising before Bandito finally connected with a powerbomb on the mat.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • There’s a tone of alienation running through the group’s work, manifesting as a clash between aesthetics of rationalist sheen and heady mysticism that, depending on the light, read as both wholly improvised and meticulously programmed.
    Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Verb
  • Sarah Sherman Samuel is known for devising furniture worthy of an art show, and the Lulu and Georgia Hamilton sideboard is no exception.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 July 2026
  • Many believe Newton was the lone genius who devised this branch of mathematics all on his own.
    Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • However, these people don't need prediction markets to concoct some conspiracy theory to explain away why their candidate lost.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 27 July 2026
  • As Flybjerg explains later, Vega is being just careful enough with his words for a good lawyer to concoct an alternate explanation down the road.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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