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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

Essayli was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney in April 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms, who is leading the review, has said an interim review found Pip to be "not fit for purpose".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado on Thursday called for a democratic transition in her country after the interim government struck a massive oil deal with the United States.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

“While we continue to navigate some challenging dynamics, we are taking a prudent approach with our revised full-year outlook,” Meghan Frank, Lululemon’s interim co-CEO and chief financial officer, said in the company’s earnings release.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Secretary of War Stanton arrives, makes the room next to Lincoln’s his headquarters, and takes charge, acting as interim president of the United States.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

Interim chairman Ian Tyler will take the role permanently, making him the company’s third chair in less than a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez assured the public Saturday that Venezuela retains control of its oil under a new agreement that allows the United States significant access to it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Interim charges are lists of issues that the lieutenant governor and speaker give to their respective chamber’s committees to study during the period between legislative sessions.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

Interim manager Igor Tudor left the club after 44 days before De Zerbi took over with seven games of the season remaining.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

On August 9, in a moment of indiscretion following Nagasaki, he had confided to Karl Darrow that he had proposed a nonmilitary demonstration to the Interim Committee.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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

Including caretakers and interims, several of whom were chopped and changed, 39 people took charge of at least one Premier League game this season.

From BBC ● May 28, 2023

For most interims who went on to become full-time staffers, the momentum gained from players rallying behind a fresh voice has rarely led to a lengthy tenure.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 15, 2023

After firing Gruden, Snyder will look to hire his seventh head coach, or ninth if you include interims.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 7, 2019

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

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

Related Words

• provisional