Definition of extemporizenext
as in to improvise
to perform, make, or do without preparation a good talk show host has to be able to extemporize the interviews when things don't go as planned

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extemporize The future, instead, seems to belong to the teams and coaches who are willing to be a little more flexible and see their role as providing a platform on which their players might extemporize. — Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023 Friends said he was talented and could extemporize about anything. — Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2023 Feel free to extemporize, enthuse and connect with people, rather than overwork the data. — Palena Neale, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 In public appearances, Emanuel likes to extemporize, cajole, and find a connection. — Connie Bruck, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2021 That meant players were able to extemporize, to take chances without being accused of departing too far from the team playbook. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extemporize
Verb
  • Marina Warner Possessed of Alchemystic Powers Ithell Colquhoun improvised with Surrealist and occult divinatory techniques in her paintings, and also in her writing—and in this lies her true originality.
    — Conor Heffernan, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a more effective change with fewer rumors needing correction, fewer objections stalling adoption and fewer managers left to improvise for their teams.
    — John Radman, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This boutique-sized wellness retreat of 10 antique handmade Javanese wooden houses in Uluwatu was devised by owner Martha Brooke as a place to share many of the holistic methods and tools that helped her overcome cancer.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The White Sox concocted a creative playing style that blended elements of old-school small ball with home-run power.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Cast a spell and concoct a potion with these delightfully witchy nails.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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