Meaning of “improvise” in the English Dictionary

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"improvise" in English

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improviseverb [ I or T ]

uk ​ /ˈɪm.prə.vaɪz/ us ​ /ˈɪm.prə.vaɪz/

› to invent or make something, such as a speech or a device, at the time when it is needed without already having planned it:

I hadn't prepared a speech so I suddenly had to improvise.
We improvised a mattress from a pile of blankets.

› When actors or musicians improvise, they perform without prepared speech or music, making up the play, music, etc. as they perform it:

During certain scenes of the play there isn't any script and the actors just improvise (the dialogue).

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

improviser
noun [ C ] /ˈɪm.prə.vaɪ.zər/ /ˈɪm.prə.vaɪ.zɚ/

›

jazz-funk improvisers

(Definition of “improvise” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"improvise" in American English

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improviseverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /ˈɪm·prəˌvɑɪz/

› to invent or provide something at the time when it is needed without having already planned it:

[ T ] We improvised a mattress from a pile of blankets.

› music To improvise music or speech is to invent it while you are performing it:

[ I ] Hughes encourages young actors to improvise during rehearsals.

(Definition of “improvise” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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