Dictionary.com

stopgap

[ stop-gap ]
/ ˈstɒpˌgæp /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of stopgap

First recorded in 1525–35; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stop a gap
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stopgap in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK