stopgap

[ stop-gap ]
/ ˈstɒpˌgæp /
SEE 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.

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Origin of stopgap

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

Words nearby stopgap

stopbank, stopcock, stope, stoper, stopes, stopgap, stoping, stoplight, stoplight party, stopover, stoppable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to stopgap

Band-Aid, temporary, emergency, makeshift, expedient, impromptu, rough-and-tumble, substitute, temp, throwaway, recourse, expediency, shift, improvisation, resort, resource, refuge, improvised, practical, provisional

Example sentences from the Web for stopgap

British Dictionary definitions for stopgap

stopgap
/ (ˈstɒpˌɡæp) /

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