ad hoc

American  

[ad hok, ahd hohk] / æd ˈhɒk, ɑd ˈhoʊk /

adverb

1. for the special purpose or end presently under consideration.

   a committee formed ad hoc to deal with the issue.

---

adjective

1. concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose, or end.

   The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.

ad hoc British  

/ æd ˈhɒk /

adjective

1. for a particular purpose only; lacking generality or justification

   an ad hoc decision

   an ad hoc committee

---

ad hoc Cultural  

1. A phrase describing something created especially for a particular occasion: “We need an ad hoc committee to handle this new problem immediately.” From Latin, meaning “toward this (matter).”

---

ad hoc Idioms  

1. For the special purpose or end at hand; also, by extension, improvised or impromptu. The term, Latin for “to this,” is most often used for committees established for a specific purpose, as in The committee was formed ad hoc to address health insurance problems. The term is also used as an adjective (An ad hoc committee was formed), and has given rise to the noun adhocism for the tendency to use temporary, provisional, or improvised methods to deal with a particular problem. [Early 1600s]

---

Usage

What does ad hoc mean? Something ad hoc is put together on the fly for one narrow, pressing, or special purpose. For example, a government committee arranged to address one specific problem would be an ad hoc committee. More loosely, it can mean "spontaneous," "unplanned," or "on the spot."Ad hoc is one of those Latin phrases commonly found in academic, law, and government contexts. It literally means "for this (thing)."

Etymology

Origin of ad hoc

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin ad hōc “for this, to this”

Example Sentences

Qatar has halted all flying indefinitely, while the two main Emirati airlines have been operating only a handful of ad hoc flights, while keeping their regularly scheduled flights grounded.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

“We have never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner,” he said in a blog post.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Parking is handled ad hoc, on a first-come, first-served basis.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

In the dry mountain winds, children returned from a Shiite religious celebration in Hermel and ran past the camp's store and barber shop to their ad hoc school.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Frank Millet unofficially kept watch over the buildings of the eastern architects during their lengthy absences from the park, lest some ad hoc decision cause irreparable aesthetic damage.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• impromptu
• provisional