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
Much of it seems improvised, and probably was.
—
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
Xi is not a transactional politician who improvises policy on a whim, who posts his intentions on social media, or changes his mind in the meeting.
—Michael Sheridan, Vanity Fair, 8 Apr. 2026
Chris Pratt improvised a nasty joke about Kim Kardashian during production of Parks and Recreation season 4.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, New Yorkers have been improvising.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
Xi is not a transactional politician who improvises policy on a whim, who posts his intentions on social media, or changes his mind in the meeting.
—Michael Sheridan, Vanity Fair, 8 Apr. 2026
Chris Pratt improvised a nasty joke about Kim Kardashian during production of Parks and Recreation season 4.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, New Yorkers have been improvising.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvise
Verb
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Their philosophy from the start was to devise a scheme that could help save Jokic’s legs for playoff basketball.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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The third-year wing said he’s been working closely with Brown to devise methods of vexing Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers’ most dangerous offensive threat.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators believe Simko met one of the suspects at a cannabis festival in Ann Arbor, where the suspects reportedly concocted a plan to set up a fake business deal and steal what officials said was upwards of 50 pounds of marijuana.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Composer Paul has concocted a pastiche of songs forever on the edge of our memories if not our tongues.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
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 27 Apr. 2026.
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