as in to devise
to perform, make, or do without preparation
since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech
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Recent Examples of improvise
No one broke the fourth wall to acknowledge that this was anything other than a deeply theatrical experience — except for Josh Gad’s Herod, with some improvised joking in his one number.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
McCartney and John both have larger-than-cameo roles in the movie, playing music with the band and improvising dialogue along with the cast.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025
The original film — directed by Reiner and written, improvised and performed by McKean, Guest, and Shearer — released to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Ferguson improvised a song about the end of the egg hunt to calm his grandson down.
—Maia Nehme, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
McCartney and John both have larger-than-cameo roles in the movie, playing music with the band and improvising dialogue along with the cast.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025
The original film — directed by Reiner and written, improvised and performed by McKean, Guest, and Shearer — released to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Ferguson improvised a song about the end of the egg hunt to calm his grandson down.
—Maia Nehme, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvise
Verb
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The next step typically undertaken is to employ a make-or-break test when aiming to devise a generalizable model.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Use them to devise your own words of inspiration for life's bigger moments — and smaller ones too.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The preview also shows West concocting his Sunday Service before delving down his own rabbit hole.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
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However, when he is left near death due to a plot concocted by his former friend Mal, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit, according to a synopsis of the book.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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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 20 Aug. 2025.
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