verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To do something, particularly to perform or speak, without prior planning or thought; to act in an impromptu manner; to improvise. intransitive
2. 2
   perform without preparation wordnet
3. 3
   To do something in a makeshift way. intransitive
4. 4
   To make or create ex tempore. transitive
5. 5
   To compose extemporaneously or improvise. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

ad-libextemporizeimproviseimproviseimprovize

Related phrases

off cuffoff top of one's headplay it by ear

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.