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Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of improvisation in English

improvisation
noun [ C or U ]
us
/ɪmˌprɑː.vəˈzeɪ.ʃən/ uk
/ˌɪm.prə.vaɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
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a performance that an actor, musician, etc. has not practiced or planned:
a blues/jazz improvisation
There are classes in movement, dance, and improvisation.
the act of making or doing something with whatever is available at the time:
I'm afraid we don't have all the necessary equipment, so a little improvisation might be required.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Playing music
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(Definition of improvisation from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

improvisation | Intermediate English

improvisation
noun [ C/U ]
us/ɪmˌprɑv·əˈzeɪ·ʃən, ˌɪm·prə·və-/
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music
a performance that is not practiced and that is invented by the performers
Improvisation is also the activity of making or doing something that you have not planned, using whatever you find.
(Definition of improvisation from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of improvisation

improvisation
I spent a number of weekends just doing improvisations with people, we had lines going all down the street, a lot of people came.
From Huffington Post
Tango, like relationships, involves a great deal of improvisation.
From The Atlantic
Improvisation is about the power and energy that's unleashed by building on the ideas of others -- just like every amazing business ought to be.
From Huffington Post
He has been improvising on stage for years and now teaches improvisation to business students and executives.
From CNN
It came out of a live setting, almost an improvisation.
From NPR
The list of potential secretaries of state has at times grown as a result of ego-stroking, misdirection and improvisation.
From CBS News
That's what brings me here -- that mix of rules and improvisation, of control and chaos.
From Business Insider
The musical language features endless repetition, with subtle variations providing the linguistic equivalent of jazz improvisations.
From Hollywood Reporter
But he's run a writers' room in which narrative improvisation fueled the actions seen onscreen.
From A.V. Club
Improvisation gives you the confidence and the indomitable will to prevail.
From Fast Company
I believe improvisation is the key to our staying power.
From Fast Company
Snapper is a contemporary soprano who combines radical vocal techniques, improvisation and collaboration to push the operatic medium to its extreme limits.
From Huffington Post
Freedom of improvisation within form itself was a reflection of their human condition.
From Los Angeles Times
Leave it to a (former) professional jazz musician to cobble together a distinctive inn with just the right balance of polish and improvisation.
From CNN
As a writer and director, he amassed a batch of giddily original comedy films -- movies with tightly scripted outlines but lots of room for improvisation.
From NPR
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of improvisation?
 

Translations of improvisation

in Chinese (Traditional)
（演員）即興表演, （音樂家）即興創作, 臨時湊合的事物…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
（演员）即兴表演, （音乐家）即兴创作, 临时凑合的事物…
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in Spanish
improvisación, improvisación [feminine], repentización [feminine]…
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in Portuguese
improvisação, improvisação [feminine]…
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in more languages
in French
in Japanese
in Turkish
in Dutch
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Ukrainian
improvisation [feminine], improvisation…
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即興（そっきょう）…
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doğaçlama…
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improvisatie…
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improvizace…
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improvisering…
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improvisasi…
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การแสดงที่ไม่ได้เตรียมมาก่อน…
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sự ứng biến…
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improwizacja…
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improvisation…
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mengimprovisasi…
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die Improvisation…
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improvisasjon [masculine], improvisering…
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імпровізація…
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