makeshift
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of makeshift
First recorded in 1555–65; noun, adj. use of verb phrase make shift
Explanation
If you have to use a garbage can lid as a sled or a set of drapes as a ball gown, then you know what it means to put together a makeshift creation. Something makeshift has been improvised, thrown together with whatever is around. What's interesting about makeshift is the way it can vary in meaning from approval to criticism. Those people trapped on the island in Lost? They came up with some pretty cool makeshift tents and survival ideas. But a government described as makeshift, for example, probably has little going for it.
Vocabulary lists containing makeshift
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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List 1
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A Long Walk to Water
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Makeshift opener Travis Head smacked an explosive 69-ball century to power Australia to victory in a high-octane first Ashes Test on Saturday as England meekly surrendered in the Perth Stadium cauldron.
From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025
Makeshift U.N. hospitals are overwhelmed, food and water are in short supply, and starvation is significantly on the rise.
From Salon • Jan. 12, 2024
Makeshift street memorials sprouted in several cities honoring the 62-year-old Prigozhin, but they have been quietly removed by authorities.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2023
Makeshift screens were set up across the state as Argentinian and French flags fluttered in the streets as fans gathered in their thousands to watch the match.
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022
Makeshift confetti snowed from windows onto the celebrants in the streets below.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
