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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When plays broke down, and Allen needed to improvise, Shakir showed a terrific knack for finding open space and, even at times, getting behind the defense for a big play.—
Joe Buscaglia,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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On the modern battlefield, cheap drones and improvised explosive devices menace ground forces, uncrewed vessels and antiship missiles threaten surface ships, and sophisticated air defenses imperil aircraft.—
Zack Cooper,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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To make this work, Dykstra devised a way to combine a film camera with a computer, enabling each ship-miniature movement to be repeated precisely over multiple runs, at different angles: a system known as motion control.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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With the annual awards show slated to stream live on Hulu for the first time, alongside its regular broadcast on ABC, Disney devised packages that took sponsorships well beyond the program itself.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Matthew Rankin, a Canadian historian and prankster, has concocted a starkly enchanting Winnipeg where Farsi is the main language of storefronts, guided tours and everyday grievances, like the woman who gripes about sharing a bus with a live turkey.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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Taking this idea and combining it with an attention to convenience and versatility while cooking, Heinz concocted three new products ready to be devoured.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extemporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extemporize. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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