improvise

Verb

• perform without preparation
• manage in a makeshift way; do with whatever is at hand
  • "after the hurricane destroyed our house, we had to improvise for weeks"
• 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.

Examples

• He had no speech prepared, so he improvised.
• She improvised a lovely solo.
• They improvised a simple shelter with branches and the rope they were carrying.

Synonyms

ad-lib, extemporise, extemporize, improvize, fly by the seat of one's pants, play by ear, punt, think on one's feet, wing it

Related Words

extemporaneous, impromptu, off the cuff