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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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
The Trump that appeared in the East Room of the White House to honor the singers was not the same figure who likes to crack jokes and extemporize freely when rubbing shoulders with superstars.
—Rob Crilly, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 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
And they are exacerbated by Mr. Trump’s tendency to extemporize and the North Koreans’ long track record of duplicitous negotiation.
—Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2018
Each presenter now has the freedom to extemporize on the warning — a nonnegotiable requirement of the program’s opening — but not by much.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2017
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
The Trump that appeared in the East Room of the White House to honor the singers was not the same figure who likes to crack jokes and extemporize freely when rubbing shoulders with superstars.
—Rob Crilly, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 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
And they are exacerbated by Mr. Trump’s tendency to extemporize and the North Koreans’ long track record of duplicitous negotiation.
—Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2018
Each presenter now has the freedom to extemporize on the warning — a nonnegotiable requirement of the program’s opening — but not by much.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extemporize
Verb
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Faced with a crowded dining room and dwindling supplies, Cardini improvised.—
Scott Hutcheson,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The Israeli campaign has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, and ravaged the Gaza Strip forcing almost the entire population of 2.3 million from their homes, leaving hundreds of thousands in tents and improvised shelters.—
James Mackenzie,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Despite the entrenched ethical norms of the legal profession, educational institutions at every level should devise strategies designed to improve the public’s understanding of government and its critical intersection with the rule of law.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Vince McMahon has devised various gimmicks and names for wrestlers while running WWE over the last several decades.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some are concocting nostalgic scrapbooks and others are knitting cozy blankets or adorable sweaters.—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Mar. 2025
-
At that point, the writers gathered to familiarize themselves (for the first time) with the original show and began concocting various excuses for having big-name stars floating in and out of the Bradys’ new life in Malibu.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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