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• interim
  interim

  noun

  an intervening time; interval; meantime.
• Interim
  Interim

  noun

  any of three provisional arrangements made during the Reformation by the German emperor and Diet to regulate religious differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants

interim

American  

[in-ter-uhm] / ˈɪn tər əm /

noun

• interims
  plural

1. an intervening time; interval; meantime.

   School doesn't start till September, but he's taking a Spanish class in the interim.

2. a temporary or provisional arrangement; stopgap; makeshift.

   As an interim, her summer job was pretty good.

3. Church History. Interim, any of three provisional arrangements for the settlement of religious differences between German Protestants and Roman Catholics during the Reformation.

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adjective

1. for, during, belonging to, or connected with an intervening period of time; temporary; provisional.

   This is just an interim arrangement till office renovations are finished.

   She is the organization’s interim director while the board reviews applications for the role.

adverb

1. meanwhile.

interim ¹ British  

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

adjective

1. (prenominal) temporary, provisional, or intervening

   interim measures to deal with the emergency

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noun

1. the intervening time; the meantime (esp in the phrase in the interim )

adverb

1. rare meantime

Interim ² British  

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

noun

1. any of three provisional arrangements made during the Reformation by the German emperor and Diet to regulate religious differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants

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interim Idioms  

1. see in the interim.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• interims
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of interim

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin: “in the meantime,” from inter “between” + -im, adverb suffix

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Explanation

An interim is a period of time between one event and another. If a teacher leaves mid-year, there might be an interim teacher, one who takes over the class until a permanent replacement is hired. Interim is a Latin adverb meaning "in the meantime." The first part, inter means "between." Interim is the time between, and you can use it as a fancy way of referring to a time you squeeze something in. Maybe you get ice cream during the interim between school and piano lessons. This word is often used in official contexts — for example, after the CEO of a company steps down, an interim CEO might serve while a formal job search is conducted.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interim Interim interims

In addition, Betancourt had developed a good relationship with Rodríguez, whom Trump had backed as the country’s interim president.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

But as Clippers interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden nervously said on media day, the team works well with its back against the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The county are undergoing a review of their cricket operations, led by interim chair Dame Sarah Storey and new chief executive Richard Kenyon.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Watt was elevated to be Romo’s interim replacement, alongside Jim Nantz, but no announcement has been made about that permanent role.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

In the interim he was intoxicated with an overabundance of free time and his whole frame trembled and fidgeted with impatience.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Interim CEO Jeff Ettinger blamed lower commodity-based pricing and a pressured consumer environment for the quarterly results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez's government was represented at the talks by her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who is also the head of Venezuela's National Assembly.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Interim charges are lists of issues that the lieutenant governor and speaker give to their respective chamber’s committees to study during the period between legislative sessions.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

Interim manager Igor Tudor left the club after 44 days before De Zerbi took over with seven games of the season remaining.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

On August 9, in a moment of indiscretion following Nagasaki, he had confided to Karl Darrow that he had proposed a nonmilitary demonstration to the Interim Committee.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Under BlueCo's leadership, Chelsea have won two major honours - the Conference League and Club World Cup - and have now reached three finals under eight managers, including caretakers and interims.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

The team announced it will name interims to fill both positions for the final three games of the season “within short order.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

For most interims who went on to become full-time staffers, the momentum gained from players rallying behind a fresh voice has rarely led to a lengthy tenure.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 15, 2023

The Mariners haven’t had a manager with even a playoff berth in Seattle on theirs since Lou Piniella in 2001, which was seven skippers ago, not counting the interims.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

The work of faith has there attained its apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy begins....

From The Revelation Explained by F. G. (Frederick George) Smith

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Related Words

• provisional

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