stopgap
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of stopgap
First recorded in 1525–35; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stop a gap
Explanation
A stopgap is a temporary solution to a problem, like a piece of cardboard taped over the broken window in your car. Until you can get it fixed, you need a stopgap. This sturdy English native dates to the early 16th century, and like its semantic cousin makeshift, it seems to have been cobbled together by the two closest words at hand. Both words actually originated from phrasal use of their components: stop a gap for the first, and make shift for the second. Not that they're jury-rigged in any way!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tra Jones, general manager of the new amphitheater and a Long Beach native, said he’s striving to make it feel less stopgap and utilitarian than FivePoint.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
With the cruise industry on pause, he took a stopgap job with a construction-project management firm, where he worked for about four years until he retired in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
But officials say those stopgap measures may not be sustainable if the shutdown drags on.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Nick Hillman, director at the Higher Education Policy Institute, said while the change would be welcomed by many, it was "just a stopgap" that was "unlikely to assuage the concerns" of many graduates.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
But our efforts were too little and too late, and could only be a stopgap measure.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
