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Synonyms

stopgap

American  
[stop-gap] / ˈstɒpˌgæp /

noun

  1. something that fills the place of something else that is lacking; temporary substitute; makeshift.

    Candles are a stopgap when the electricity fails.

adjective

  1. makeshift.

    This is only a stopgap solution.
    Synonyms:
    impromptu, substitute, temporary, improvised
stopgap British  
/ 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

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!

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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.

Any solution you can find to the woes of space is essentially a stopgap measure designed to keep astronauts relatively healthy for six-month stretches.

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2026

More companies chose a board member to run things day-to-day last year, usually a stopgap move that suggests succession hadn’t gone as planned, Spencer Stuart said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The legislation aims to keep the federal government open through September while allocating stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as negotiations continue over that department’s budget.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said he was advocating for his colleagues to vote no on the DHS stopgap funding.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

The Summer Session—a few dozen boys being force-fed education, a stopgap while most of the masters were away and most of the traditions stored against sultriness—the Summer Session was over.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

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.