ad-lib
verb /ˌæd ˈlɪb/
/ˌæd ˈlɪb/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they ad-lib | /ˌæd ˈlɪb/ /ˌæd ˈlɪb/ |
| he / she / it ad-libs | /ˌæd ˈlɪbz/ /ˌæd ˈlɪbz/ |
| past simple ad-libbed | /ˌæd ˈlɪbd/ /ˌæd ˈlɪbd/ |
| past participle ad-libbed | /ˌæd ˈlɪbd/ /ˌæd ˈlɪbd/ |
| -ing form ad-libbing | /ˌæd ˈlɪbɪŋ/ /ˌæd ˈlɪbɪŋ/ |
- to say something in a speech or a performance that you have not prepared or practised synonym improvise
- She abandoned her script and began ad-libbing.
- ad-lib something I lost my notes and had to ad-lib the whole speech.
- He ad-libbed his way through the meeting.
Word Originearly 19th cent. (as an adverb): abbreviation of ad libitum.