ad hoc
[ ad -hok; Latin ahd -hohk ]
/ æd ˈhɒk; Latin ɑd ˈhoʊk /
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adverb
for the special purpose or end presently under consideration: a committee formed ad hoc to deal with the issue.
adjective
concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose, or end: The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.
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Origin of ad hoc
First recorded in 1550–60, ad hoc is from Latin ad hōc “for this”
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ad hoc
ad hoc , a posteriori, a priori, ex post facto, prima facieDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use ad hoc in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ad hoc
ad hoc
/ (æd ˈhɒk) /
adjective, adverb
for a particular purpose only; lacking generality or justificationan ad hoc decision; an ad hoc committee
Word Origin for ad hoc
Latin, literally: to this
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for ad hoc
ad hoc
[ (ad hok, ad hohk) ]
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).”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with ad hoc
ad hoc
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.