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
  • Could these poems have been improvised by singers drawing on a repertoire of formulae?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • The afternoon loosens into tapas at Tapeo and whatever the pastry chefs are improvising that week at Bubó.
    Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • While many may remember the warrior Achilles from the Trojan War, Odysseus was the cunning strategist who devised the famous Trojan Horse plan to enter Troy.
    Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
  • Ten years on, after devising the victorious Trojan Horse gambit, Ulysses attempts to return to Ithaca and the pining Penelope, whose palace has been overrun with scheming suitors seeking her hand.
    Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Ghost also accused Wilson and her PR team of concocting a smear campaign against her.
    Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
  • Tran says the hairstyle was concocted with Liu's outfit in mind, not to mention her overall vibe.
    Marci Robin, Allure, 16 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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