as in devising
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 improvising
The group sings and harmonizes with the instruments, improvising every now and then.
—
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
That's all Masali just improvising.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Daniel, Chris’s father, has been searching for him ever since, along the banks of the Vistula River, improvising methods and means of investigation.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
This reflects conscientiousness, or the tendency to plan, organize and execute systematically versus improvising and adapting in real time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
So neighbors have been improvising.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The franchise already has its playbook, and judging by social media reactions, Blumhouse ran it without improvising for the win.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The country is still bruised, unbalanced and improvising.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
During an early rehearsal, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande began improvising a goodbye — speaking, not singing — with their arms wrapped around each other in a corner of the room.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
That's all Masali just improvising.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Daniel, Chris’s father, has been searching for him ever since, along the banks of the Vistula River, improvising methods and means of investigation.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
This reflects conscientiousness, or the tendency to plan, organize and execute systematically versus improvising and adapting in real time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
So neighbors have been improvising.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The franchise already has its playbook, and judging by social media reactions, Blumhouse ran it without improvising for the win.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The country is still bruised, unbalanced and improvising.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
During an early rehearsal, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande began improvising a goodbye — speaking, not singing — with their arms wrapped around each other in a corner of the room.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvising
Verb
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Last week, the council voted 9–6 to direct the city manager to study moving its emergency operations, dispatch and service call center out of City Hall while devising funding plans for repairing the aging building, staying there and relocating.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
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While Green gave him instant advice, Kerr was devising ways to get Porzingis involved.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Gyllenhaal begins concocting her third directorial feature, could Curtis be part of the picture?—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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Gyllenhaal, who also wrote her film, has corrected the imbalance, refashioning the story from the Bride’s perspective and concocting a protagonist of unfiltered feminist fury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On the right, Tucker Carlson has repeatedly asserted that Buttigieg only pretends to be gay, and is in fact a straight man faking homosexuality for political clout.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
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Wisconsin doesn't have a crime on the books for faking a death.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improvising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvising. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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