definitions
  • synonyms

kludge

or kluge

[ klooj ]
/ kludʒ /
|

noun Computer Slang.

a software or hardware configuration that, while inelegant, inefficient, clumsy, or patched together, succeeds in solving a specific problem or performing a particular task.

Nearby words

klopstock, klopstock, friedrich gottlieb, kluck, kluckhohn, kluckhohn, clyde kay maben, kludge, klug, klumpke's paralysis, klunker, klutz, klutzy

Origin of kludge

First recorded in 1960–65; expressive coinage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kludge

  • The sous vide required a vacuum sealer (you can kludge it with plastic bags and a straw, but I am not that dedicated).

    The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST

  • Kludge did not arise by accident, and it will take something more than mere disapproval to reduce and replace it.

    America's Kludgeocracy Democracy|David Frum|December 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Word Origin and History for kludge

kludge

1962, noun and verb, U.S. slang, fanciful coinage by U.S. author Jackson W. Granholm (b.1921). Related: Kludgy.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper