improvise

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“
Learn to read music, play by ear, improvise, and memorize.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. transitive verb To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation.
  2. transitive verb To play or sing (music) extemporaneously, especially by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies in accordance with a set progression of chords.
  3. transitive verb To make or provide from available materials: improvised a dinner from what I found in the refrigerator.
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Examples (50)

  • With insufficient time to improvise, the raid was allowed to proceed. —  Luftwaffe Victorious
  • Many people prided themselves on being able to improvise, and everyone took good care of irreplaceable tools and equipment. —  Dragons Dawn
  • But her greatest pleasure was to make him improvise, and she used to provide him with heartbreakingly sentimental themes. —  Jean-Christophe, Vol. I
  • They had to improvise, as quick as they could, a complete education in religious subjects. —  Saint Augustin
  • Learn to read music, play by ear, improvise, and memorize. —  Softpedia - Windows - All
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

Used in the same contextWord Family

improvise:   improvising ·  improvised ·  improvises
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French improviser, from Italian improvvisare, from improvviso, unforeseen, from Latin imprōvīsus : in-, not; see in-1 + prōvīsus, past participle of prōvidēre, to foresee; see provide.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from French improviser = Spanish Portuguese improvisar = Italian improvvisare, from New Latin *improvisare, improvise, from Latin improvisus, inprovisus (later Italian improvviso = Spanish Portuguese improviso), unforeseen, from in- privative + provisus, past participle of providere, foresee: see provide, provise.
 

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/ɪmprəˈvaɪz/
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