ad-lib

See also: adlib and ad lib

English

Alternative forms

• adlib

Etymology

From ad lib.

Verb

ad-lib (third-person singular simple present ad-libs, present participle ad-libbing, simple past and past participle ad-libbed)

1. To improvise all or part of a speech or other performance, especially in comedy.
   • 1998 December 21, The New Yorker:

     Hope’s onstage ad-libbing generated more humor and attention than the show’s lacklustre libretto.

   • 2004 March 15, The New Yorker:

     I watched Jeb Bush as his brother spoke. He paid attention, grinned and laughed, even ad-libbed when called upon.

Derived terms

• ad-libber

Descendants

• Korean: 드립 (deurip, “inappropriate or risqué joke”)

Translations

to improvise

• Dutch: improviseren (nl)
• French: improviser (fr)
• Russian: импровизировать (ru) (improvizirovatʹ)
• Spanish: improvisar (es)
• Swedish: improvisera (sv)

Anagrams

• Baldi, Blida