makeshift

American  

[meyk-shift] / ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft /

noun

makeshifts plural

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

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adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   ersatz, jury, improvised, temporary, emergency

makeshift British  

/ ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft /

adjective

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

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noun

1. something serving in this capacity

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• makeshifts
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

makeshift makeshifts

The struggle over public safety became concrete when residents began placing makeshift barricades in the streets to slow ICE vehicles.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

One of its first beneficiaries is Aran Inthakul, 71, a former car mechanic who struggles to move after a bad fall several years ago in front of his makeshift shack on the outskirts of Bangkok.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Attendees of the vigil laid flowers at the crosses in a makeshift cemetery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Ten years later he gained prominence when footage went viral showing his infantry fighting vehicle smashing through a makeshift barricade.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

My rusty honor guard herded me to the makeshift raft.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Afghan refugee and photographer Abdul Saboor poses for Reuters as he takes pictures in a makeshifts migrant camp in Loon-Plage, near Dunkirk, France, December 4, 2021.

From Reuters ● Dec. 8, 2021

Awkward staging makeshifts had to be employed instead, resulting in hundreds of audience members leaving the theatre every night scratching their heads.

From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2013

These two are not makeshifts but attacking bowlers for turning tracks.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2011

Many victims struggled along for years with these makeshifts.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the best, these log-houses were poor makeshifts for dwellings in the severe winter weather along the bleak New England coast.

From American Leaders and Heroes A preliminary text-book in United States History by Gordy, Wilbur Fisk