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
Citing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, and Motown as early influences, Rikk would bang his drums while their father strummed along with his acoustic guitar and sometimes improvised songs that Rikk would play along to.
—
Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
At one point, the boat’s mainsail yard snapped, forcing Jarrett and his crew to improvise a solution using only Viking-era materials.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 May 2025
When he’s pressured or forced to improvise, though, issues pop up.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
At one point, she was asked to put down the sides and improvise.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
At one point, the boat’s mainsail yard snapped, forcing Jarrett and his crew to improvise a solution using only Viking-era materials.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 May 2025
When he’s pressured or forced to improvise, though, issues pop up.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
At one point, she was asked to put down the sides and improvise.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for improvise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvise
Verb
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Directors: Scout Purdy & Doug Purdy After a series of revelations, 15-year-old Joe devises a plan to cure her teen angst: a month-long pilgrimage filled with communication issues, terrible survival skills, and zero Wi-Fi—AKA a summer hiking trip with her father.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
22 May 2025
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Cabinet secretaries were sidelined, and staff members devised elaborate strategies to avoid placing him in situations that might expose his decline.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Desperate to revive his reputation, Zach gains the trust of nerdy outcast Laney (Cook) to concoct a vain scheme to turn her into the next prom queen.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
30 May 2025
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Toronto worked back from an early deficit but couldn’t concoct another comeback win, falling to 22-24 on the season.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 May 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 6 Jun. 2025.
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