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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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 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
  • Many look-alikes will simply turn up and look like their doppelgänger, but Oliver embodies Brent for hours and hours, quoting beloved routines from The Office and improvising in character himself.
    Ralph Jones, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Sometimes, the pianist is front and center, improvising with energy and creativity, while the drummer and bassist lay back, providing the foundation.
    Brian Bartes, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The trio devised rudimentary games involving images and text questions.
    Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Many cable-news mainstays are devising new programming concepts that move away from the industry standard of single-host opinion programs.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Emilia eventually concocts a risky scheme to reunite with her family under the guise of a relative.
    Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Hyman and his team also concocted a devilish backstory for Tony to explain some of his ostentatious wealth.
    Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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