jury-rigged
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's jury-rigged is makeshift or thrown together from available parts. Kids love jury-rigged forts, made of blankets and chairs, even though they're not fancy. After a fender bender, you might keep your bumper from dragging on the ground with a jury-rigged solution involving duct tape and a bungee cord. Your brother's jury-rigged skateboard ramp might be less successful. Jury-rigged was originally a nautical term — a jury-rig was a backup mast that sailors would bring on long voyages in case the original mast was damaged. Using the word jury to mean "temporary" or "makeshift" might be rooted in the Latin adjutare, "to aid or help."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A look in the vehicle’s trunk revealed how the automaker jury-rigged a run-of-the-mill sport-utility vehicle to run with Wayve’s technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
With their de-watering wells, remote grids and jury-rigged modifications, residents in “The Bend” sometimes feel more like backcountry homesteaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
These are not the jury-rigged e-bikes that deliver Chinese food in Manhattan.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2023
Ultimately the league canceled it altogether, which required jury-rigged adjustments to the playoff structure.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2023
A jury-rigged burner and pot also looked inspired by, if not commandeered from, inmate facilities.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
