makeshift

[meyk-shift]

noun

1. a temporary expedient or substitute.

   We used boxes as a makeshift while the kitchen chairs were being painted.

   Synonyms: jury-rig, contrivance, make-do

adjective

1. Also makeshifty. serving as, or of the nature of, a makeshift.

   Synonyms: ersatz, jury, improvised, temporary, emergency

makeshift

/ ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft /

adjective

1. serving as a temporary or expedient means, esp during an emergency

noun

1. something serving in this capacity

Word History and Origins

Origin of makeshift¹

First recorded in 1555–65; noun, adj. use of verb phrase make shift

Example Sentences

A light powered by a makeshift electrical connection shone at the doorway of the rusted shack where Bryan lives with his wife and nine-year-old son.

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In one patch of blue canvas shelters, some 60 doctors, nurses and pharmacists have assembled what passes for a clinic: a makeshift pharmacy, a rudimentary laboratory and tents used as short-stay wards.

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People rushed from residential buildings as buildings shook and makeshift structures collapsed.

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On reaching the outskirts of the capital, Patna, the team found a ramshackle setup of a dozen metal drums - part of a makeshift apparatus fermenting jaggery, a type of cane sugar, into country liquor.

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I grab the hilt and start hacking my way forward, using it as a makeshift hatchet.

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