interim

American  

[in-ter-uhm] / ˈɪn tər əm /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of interim

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

Example Sentences

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has been nominated as the new interim attorney general.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026

He said regime figures who are sanctioned may now see the lifting of sanctions on the interim president as a sign they could be next.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"It makes me even more delighted to have a 35-year-old youth as my successor," the outgoing interim prime minister, who hugged Shah after he took the oath, said in a statement.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It feels remote from the talk of new foreign investment and oil deals circulating in the capital since the US seized Nicolás Maduro on 3 January, restoring ties with the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

He guesses he has likely outgrown it in the interim, unable to recall exactly what the last suit-worthy occasion was.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• provisional