stopgap

[stop-gap]

See more synonyms for stopgap on Thesaurus.com

noun

something that fills the place of something else that is lacking; temporary substitute; makeshift: Candles are a stopgap when the electricity fails.

adjective

makeshift: This is only a stopgap solution.

Origin of stopgap

First recorded in 1525–35; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stop a gap

Synonyms

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2. improvised, temporary, substitute, impromptu.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stopgap

Contemporary Examples

He has left millions of homeowners to fend for themselves, and even his health care plan is really only a stopgap measure.
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Live In: Kevin Baker’s New York
Allen Barra
September 23, 2013
His “strategists” have concocted a series of stopgap tactics.
How Mitt Romney Can Win the First Debate With Obama
Robert Shrum
September 25, 2012
As for Fattorosi of XPays, he sees the lawsuits as only a stopgap.
Behind the Porn Piracy Crackdown
Richard Abowitz
April 2, 2011
But even Joffe admits that a better radar and rapid reaction system is only a partial, stopgap solution.
Cyber-Terror: The New Nukes?
Trevor Butterworth
September 27, 2010

Historical Examples

She was going as a stopgap to speak at a large meeting to oblige Angelica.
The Beth Book
Sarah Grand
The stopgap was such that it must remain as it was; and every further effort was useless.
Toilers of the Sea
Victor Hugo
Because Brownlee knows why I'm looking for a cure to replace the stopgap.
Nor Iron Bars a Cage....
Gordon Randall Garrett
But he knew that they were only a stopgap, only a temporarily shoring of a constantly-eroding dam.
The Dueling Machine
Benjamin William Bova
It's a stopgap effort, just to keep things moving until Project Sea-Dredge starts functioning.
The Hunted Heroes
Robert Silverberg

British Dictionary definitions for stopgap

stopgap

noun

1. a temporary substitute for something else
2. (as modifier)a stopgap programme

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

Word Origin and History for stopgap

1680s, from stop + gap.

stopgap

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}stopgap

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for stopgap

Contemporary Examples

He has left millions of homeowners to fend for themselves, and even his health care plan is really only a stopgap measure.

His “strategists” have concocted a series of stopgap tactics.

As for Fattorosi of XPays, he sees the lawsuits as only a stopgap.

But even Joffe admits that a better radar and rapid reaction system is only a partial, stopgap solution.

Historical Examples

She was going as a stopgap to speak at a large meeting to oblige Angelica.

The stopgap was such that it must remain as it was; and every further effort was useless.

Because Brownlee knows why I'm looking for a cure to replace the stopgap.

But he knew that they were only a stopgap, only a temporarily shoring of a constantly-eroding dam.

It's a stopgap effort, just to keep things moving until Project Sea-Dredge starts functioning.

stopgap

Word Origin and History for stopgap

Origin of stopgap