improvise
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improvise
- /ˈɪm.pɹə.vaɪz/
Where it comes from
From French improviser; ultimately from Latin improvisus. Not related to improve.
verb improvises · improvising · improvised
-
To make something up or invent it as one goes on; to proceed guided only by imagination, intuition, and guesswork rather than by a careful plan.
He had no speech prepared, so he improvised.
Similar: fly by the seat of one's pants, play by ear, punt, think on one's feet, wing it
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: extemporise, extemporize, ad-lib, invent, adlib, improvize, wing it, improvisate, improvisatize, freeball, improv, wing, vamp, fake, riff, make shift
Translations
Every language
verb to make something up as one goes on
| Español | improvisar, repentizar, payar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 即興で |
| 中文 | 即興 /即兴 jíxìng, 现抓 xiànzhuā |
| Português | improvisar |
| Français | improviser |
| Deutsch | improvisieren |
| Italiano | improvvisare, parlare a braccio |
| Ελληνικά | αυτοσχεδιάζω aftoschediázo |
| Română | improviza |
| Русский | импровизи́ровать improvizírovatʹ, сымпровизи́ровать symprovizírovatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | ứng biến, ứng tác, ứng tấu |
| العربية | اِرْتَجَلَ irtajala |
| עברית | אַלְתֵּר altér |
Talk about this word "improvise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/improvise. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. improvise. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/improvise "improvise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/improvise.Cite this
@misc{improvise_2026,
title = {improvise},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/improvise},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
