as in to devise
to perform, make, or do without preparation
since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 improvise
Two shows, much of it improvised, will be staged at The Conrad in La Jolla next Sunday and that heightened, in-the-moment energy transmits to the audience.
—
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The dialogue is heavily improvised, with Davis letting the singers tell their own stories.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
On the next-to-last take, Lindo improvised, letting music take the place of words.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
This means that in practice, families often absorbed costs, doctors improvised, and communities carried the burden.
—Abrar Mir, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The dialogue is heavily improvised, with Davis letting the singers tell their own stories.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
On the next-to-last take, Lindo improvised, letting music take the place of words.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
This means that in practice, families often absorbed costs, doctors improvised, and communities carried the burden.
—Abrar Mir, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvise
Verb
-
This long-standing principle originated with Robert Freilich, a consultant hired in the early 1970s by Mayor Pete Wilson to devise a growth management strategy for San Diego.—
Nico Calavita,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Just days after German tanks rolled into Denmark in April 1940, Allied officials huddled to devise ways to protect Ivittuut’s magical mineral.—
Thomas Robertson,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since the advent of TV and radio, public figures have concocted deliberate soundbites to stick out and persuade the public.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Reporters including Sheen can be seen concocting covert plots to meet with them face to face, the success or failure of which briefly becomes an intense point of interest.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Improvise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvise. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
