MEANING
To create or perform using immediate invention or available resources rather than a fixed prepared plan.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- improvise a reply
- improvise a shelter
On the page
She improvised a reply when the prepared answer no longer fit.
They improvised a shelter from the remaining panels.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- improvise
- Past tense
- improvised
- Past participle
- improvised
- Present participle
- improvising
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- improvise
- Present continuous
- am/is/are improvising
- Present perfect
- have/has improvised
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been improvising
- Past
- improvised
- Past continuous
- was/were improvising
- Past perfect
- had improvised
- Past perfect continuous
- had been improvising
- Future
- will improvise
- Future continuous
- will be improvising
- Future perfect
- will have improvised
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been improvising
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: improvise; improvises; improvised; improvised; improvising Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: improvises.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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