stopgap

[ stop-gap ]

/ ˈstɒpˌgæp /

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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of stopgap

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

SYNONYMS FOR stopgap

2. improvised, temporary, substitute, impromptu.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stopgap ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stopgap

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|DAILY BEAST
His “strategists” have concocted a series of stopgap tactics.
How Mitt Romney Can Win the First Debate With Obama|Robert Shrum|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As for Fattorosi of XPays, he sees the lawsuits as only a stopgap.
Behind the Porn Piracy Crackdown|Richard Abowitz|April 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

In this his Christian neighbours liked him well, insomuch as he was a kind of stay or stopgap to the infidels.
Secret Diplomatic History of The Eighteenth Century|Karl Marx
She was going as a stopgap to speak at a large meeting to oblige Angelica.
The Beth Book|Sarah Grand
However, a stopgap was found in the person of the book-keeper, a young Englishman, who knew more of music than accounts.
A Little Bush Maid|Mary Grant Bruce
It's a stopgap effort, just to keep things moving until Project Sea-Dredge starts functioning.
The Hunted Heroes|Robert Silverberg
Because Brownlee knows why I'm looking for a cure to replace the stopgap.
Nor Iron Bars a Cage....|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for stopgap

stopgap

/ (ˈstɒpˌɡæp) /

noun

a temporary substitute for something else
(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

stopgap

1680s, from stop + gap.