makeshift
[ meyk-shift ]
/ ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft /
noun
a temporary expedient or substitute: We used boxes as a makeshift while the kitchen chairs were being painted.
adjective
Also make·shift·y. serving as, or of the nature of, a makeshift.
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RELATED WORDS
stopgap, expedient, alternative, substitute, temp, make-do, throwaway, recourse, expediency, shift, resort, resource, refuge, replacement, hit-or-miss, provisional, quick-and-dirty, slapdash, Band-Aid
Nearby words
- makemie, francis,
- makeover,
- maker,
- maker's mark,
- makerspace,
- makeup,
- makeweight,
- makeyevka,
- makhachkala,
- makhlouf
Origin of makeshift
First recorded in 1555–65; noun, adj. use of verb phrase make shift
SYNONYMS FOR makeshift
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for makeshift
makeshift
/ (ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft) /
adjective
serving as a temporary or expedient means, esp during an emergency
noun
something serving in this capacity
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
makeshift
also make-shift, 1560s, as a noun, "shifty person, rogue," from make (v.) + shift (v.). Adjectival sense of "substitute" is first recorded 1680s. Cf. make-sport "a laughing stock" (1610s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper