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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

Etymology

Origin of interim

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

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

“Markets already move on Truth Social posts,” said Kevin McGurn, Trump Media’s interim chief executive.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

Jorge Rodríguez, who is the brother of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, cited the devastation created by the recent twin earthquakes which struck the north of Venezuela on 24 June as the reason behind the talks.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the renewed US blockade "has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum", referring to the interim deal reached last month to halt hostilities and pursue peace talks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Assistant General Managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen will split interim GM duties, the team announced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 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 President Delcy Rodriguez has defended the government reaction, saying thousands of public officials and rescue teams were dispatched.

From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026

Interim President Rodríguez said she spoke with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, and that they reaffirmed their commitment to send rescue teams and aid supplies.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez visited the region on Thursday and declared it a disaster area.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

“It is clear that wildfires are no longer solely a fire-service problem. They are an all-of-us problem,” said Orange County Fire Authority Interim Chief T.J.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026

Conant, who had come up with the idea, thought it could serve as a conduit to the Interim Committee for the views of bomb scientists who had become restless about the implications of their work.

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 move starts the team’s never-ending coaching carousel — now up to 10 coaches, including interims, in Snyder’s 24 seasons.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 2, 2022

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

And no more Trojan interims like Clay Helton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

Whiles we have struck, By interims and conveying gusts we have heard The charges of our friends.

From Coriolanus by Shakespeare, William

Related Words

• provisional