See improvise in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
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{
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"tags": [
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{
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{
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"word": "improvisation"
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"word": "improvisational"
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{
"word": "improvisatory"
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"text": "He had no speech prepared, so he improvised.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "They improvised a simple shelter with branches and the rope they were carrying.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "She improvised a lovely solo.",
"type": "example"
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{
"ref": "1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Another London Life”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 173:",
"text": "We have improvised the most charming party imaginable. The summer has come back by surprise. I own I wonder that June was not tired of us: still here is a day so sunny, that October does not know its own. The Duke of Wharton, Lord Hervey, and some two or three others, have designed a water-party in our honour.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To make something up or invent it as one goes on; to proceed guided only by imagination, intuition, and guesswork rather than by a careful plan."
],
"id": "en-improvise-en-verb-awlbxaIm",
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"invent",
"invent"
],
[
"imagination",
"imagination"
],
[
"intuition",
"intuition"
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[
"guesswork",
"guesswork"
]
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"word": "extemporaneous"
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{
"word": "impromptu"
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{
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{
"word": "fly by the seat of one's pants"
},
{
"word": "play by ear"
},
{
"word": "punt"
},
{
"word": "think on one's feet"
},
{
"word": "wing it"
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{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "irtajala",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "اِرْتَجَلَ"
},
{
"code": "ast",
"lang": "Asturian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "be",
"lang": "Belarusian",
"roman": "impravizavácʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective",
"perfective"
],
"word": "імправізава́ць"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "improviziram",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "импровизирам"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "jíxìng",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "即興 /即兴"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "xiànzhuā",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "现抓"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvizovat"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisere"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviseren"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisoida"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "sepittää"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviser"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisieren"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "aftoschediázo",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "αυτοσχεδιάζω"
},
{
"code": "grc",
"lang": "Ancient Greek",
"roman": "skhediázō",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "σχεδιάζω"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvizál"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "rögtönöz"
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{
"code": "is",
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"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "leika af fingrum fram"
},
{
"code": "is",
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"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "snarstefja"
},
{
"code": "is",
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"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "spinna"
},
{
"code": "ga",
"lang": "Irish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "seiftigh"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvvisare"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "parlare a braccio"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "tito ohia"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisere"
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{
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"tags": [
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{
"code": "pt",
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"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
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{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "improvizírovatʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "импровизи́ровать"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "symprovizírovatʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "сымпровизи́ровать"
},
{
"code": "es",
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"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisera"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "improvizuváty",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective",
"perfective"
],
"word": "імпровізува́ти"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng biến"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng tác"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng tấu"
}
]
}
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"text": "He had no speech prepared, so he improvised.",
"type": "example"
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"type": "example"
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"text": "We have improvised the most charming party imaginable. The summer has come back by surprise. I own I wonder that June was not tired of us: still here is a day so sunny, that October does not know its own. The Duke of Wharton, Lord Hervey, and some two or three others, have designed a water-party in our honour.",
"type": "quote"
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],
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],
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"imagination",
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{
"word": "play by ear"
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{
"word": "punt"
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{
"word": "think on one's feet"
},
{
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],
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{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "irtajala",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "اِرْتَجَلَ"
},
{
"code": "ast",
"lang": "Asturian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "be",
"lang": "Belarusian",
"roman": "impravizavácʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective",
"perfective"
],
"word": "імправізава́ць"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "improviziram",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "импровизирам"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "jíxìng",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "即興 /即兴"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "xiànzhuā",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "现抓"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvizovat"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisere"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviseren"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisoida"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "sepittää"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviser"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisieren"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "aftoschediázo",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "αυτοσχεδιάζω"
},
{
"code": "grc",
"lang": "Ancient Greek",
"roman": "skhediázō",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "σχεδιάζω"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvizál"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "rögtönöz"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "leika af fingrum fram"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "snarstefja"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "spinna"
},
{
"code": "ga",
"lang": "Irish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "seiftigh"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvvisare"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "parlare a braccio"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "tito ohia"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisere"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "improwizować"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "zaimprowizować"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improviza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "improvizírovatʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "импровизи́ровать"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "symprovizírovatʹ",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "сымпровизи́ровать"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "improvisera"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "improvizuváty",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"tags": [
"imperfective",
"perfective"
],
"word": "імпровізува́ти"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng biến"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng tác"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "to make something up as one goes on",
"word": "ứng tấu"
}
],
"word": "improvise"
}
Download raw JSONL data for improvise meaning in English (8.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (ee63ee9 and 4230888). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.