Words / B2

IMPR-uh-vyz/ˈɪmprəvaɪz/

To improvise is to invent or provide something without a plan, using what you have: improvise seating; improvise a solo. Make do is informal; prepare is an opposite. Invigilators had to improvise seating. Jazz and emergencies. Do not call a fully rehearsed speech improvised.

Meaning

To invent or provide something without preparation, using what you have.

Examples

• “Invigilators had to improvise seating when the west hall flooded.”
• “The drama paper asked how actors improvise from a prompt, which is the performance sense.”

Good to know

improvise a + noun; improvise on. Informal: make do. Noun: improvisation. Exams, jazz, and fieldwork. Unplanned, not rehearsed.

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