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.
As a stopgap, the VA brought on a private security firm in June to provide uniformed 24-hour “observe and report” sentry posts and roving patrols.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
But officials say those stopgap measures may not be sustainable if the shutdown drags on.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
CoreWeave and other neoclouds risk being treated as stopgap measures until that hyperscaler supply comes online by 2028.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
As a stopgap solution, she has had to apply multiple lower-dose patches to hit the .075 mg dose she needed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
He was succeeded by Gregory XV, an elderly stopgap who himself died in 1623, when things seemed at last to be going better for Galileo.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
