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• interim
  interim

  noun

  an intervening time; interval; meantime.
• Interim
  Interim

  noun

  any of three provisional arrangements made during the Reformation by the German emperor and Diet to regulate religious differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants

interim

American  

[in-ter-uhm] / ˈɪn tər əm /

noun

interims plural

1. an intervening time; interval; meantime.

   School doesn't start till September, but he's taking a Spanish class in the interim.

2. a temporary or provisional arrangement; stopgap; makeshift.

   As an interim, her summer job was pretty good.

3. Church History. Interim, any of three provisional arrangements for the settlement of religious differences between German Protestants and Roman Catholics during the Reformation.

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adjective

1. for, during, belonging to, or connected with an intervening period of time; temporary; provisional.

   This is just an interim arrangement till office renovations are finished.

   She is the organization’s interim director while the board reviews applications for the role.

adverb

1. meanwhile.

interim ¹ British  

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

adjective

1. (prenominal) temporary, provisional, or intervening

   interim measures to deal with the emergency

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noun

1. the intervening time; the meantime (esp in the phrase in the interim )

adverb

1. rare meantime

Interim ² British  

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

noun

1. any of three provisional arrangements made during the Reformation by the German emperor and Diet to regulate religious differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants

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interim Idioms  

1. see in the interim.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• interims
  plural

Etymology

Origin of interim

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin: “in the meantime,” from inter “between” + -im, adverb suffix

Explanation

An interim is a period of time between one event and another. If a teacher leaves mid-year, there might be an interim teacher, one who takes over the class until a permanent replacement is hired. Interim is a Latin adverb meaning "in the meantime." The first part, inter means "between." Interim is the time between, and you can use it as a fancy way of referring to a time you squeeze something in. Maybe you get ice cream during the interim between school and piano lessons. This word is often used in official contexts — for example, after the CEO of a company steps down, an interim CEO might serve while a formal job search is conducted.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interim Interim interims

He was part of an interim coaching staff at Rangers in 2021 and worked in the Spurs academy, before leaving in 2024 to pursue a full-time managerial role.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Boston interim manager Chad Tracy stepped into the clubhouse to say a few words afterward but saw veteran players Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray speaking to the team and allowed them the moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez has pledged to deliver 4,000 homes by year's end to those displaced by the earthquakes, including an estimated 23,000 who are now homeless.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

The 36-year-old joined John Mitchell's side on an interim basis as the lead attack and backs coach for this year's Women's Six Nations.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

We advocated the creation of a multiparty negotiating conference to set up the interim government and set out the guiding principles for the functioning of a constituent assembly.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

In the same part of town, called Chacao, the Interim President, Delcy Rodriguez, took a tour with the mayor and was on the receiving end of residents' ire.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez visited the region on Thursday and declared it a disaster area.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez assured U.S. officials and mining executives in March of security for foreign investors in the mineral-rich interior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“It is clear that wildfires are no longer solely a fire-service problem. They are an all-of-us problem,” said Orange County Fire Authority Interim Chief T.J.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026

The Interim Committee met with its scientific panel for the first time on May 31 at the Pentagon, with Groves and Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall in attendance.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Under BlueCo's leadership, Chelsea have won two major honours - the Conference League and Club World Cup - and have now reached three finals under eight managers, including caretakers and interims.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

The team announced it will name interims to fill both positions for the final three games of the season “within short order.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

The move starts the team’s never-ending coaching carousel — now up to 10 coaches, including interims, in Snyder’s 24 seasons.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 2, 2022

The Mariners haven’t had a manager with even a playoff berth in Seattle on theirs since Lou Piniella in 2001, which was seven skippers ago, not counting the interims.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

The work of faith has there attained its apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy begins.

From The Last Reformation by Smith, F. G. (Frederick George)

Related Words

• provisional