temp
noun
an office worker hired, usually through an agency on a per diem basis, for a short period of time; a temporary worker.
temp
1 American
[temp]
/ tɛmp /
noun
-
temps
plural
verb (used without object)
-
temps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
temped,
past participle, past
-
temping
present participle
temp.
2
American
abbreviation
-
temperature.
-
temporary.
-
in the time of.
temp.
1
British
abbreviation
-
temperate
-
temperature
-
temporary
-
tempore
temp
2
British
/ tɛmp /
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tempsimple
-
tempssimple
-
have tempedperfect
-
has tempedperfect
-
am tempingprogressive
-
are tempingprogressive
-
is tempingprogressive
-
have been tempingperfect progressive
-
has been tempingperfect progressive
Past
-
tempedsimple
-
had tempedperfect
-
was tempingprogressive
-
were tempingprogressive
-
had been tempingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of temp1
First recorded in 1930–35; by shortening
Origin of temp.2
From the Latin word tempore
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.
See Examples For:
Just like her mother, Kelly developed a habit of picking up side hustles to complement her music gigs, including teaching, nannying and even working for a temp agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
"Whether that's putting in some sort of temporary structure or putting a temp track across the field alongside the landslide."
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
Many are offering their Black Friday deals earlier and earlier to temp value-conscious consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
She kept her long-term temp job at Deutsche Bank throughout that first season, wanting to ensure she could make her rent if the show got axed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Three tense weeks after that, Eric took a temp job, as a network programmer with Andersen Consulting that paid $35,000 a year.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Don't overshoot the mark on the crust and accidentally let the interior temp. get away from you.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2025
Simply toss them with a bit of oil, some salt and whatever seasonings you like and/or have on hand, and roast at a medium-high temp. until they're browned and fragrant.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2022
A sign at the trailhead announced: “12 mile round trip temp. exceeds 100 F min. 1 gallon water per person/day no shade no water.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2015
We can scarcely hope to get a better surface at this season, but I wish we could have some help from the wind, though it might shake us up badly if the temp. didn't rise.'
From The Voyages of Captain Scott : Retold from the Voyage of the Discovery and Scott's Last Expedition by Charles Turley
We can scarcely hope to get a better surface at this season, but I wish we could have some help from the wind, though it might shake us badly if the temp. didn't rise.
From Scott's Last Expedition Volume I by Robert Falcon Scott
Wednesday saw record-breaking, triple-digit temps in several parts of Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
With temps hovering near three digits, hikes and other outdoor adventures were out of the question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Laissez les bons temps rouler” is as relevant to younger investors as Warren Buffett’s advice to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful has been to older generations.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
And thanks to the low temps, this winter hasn’t just felt like a real winter; it’s also really looked like one.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2026
“Says the girl sitting outside in subglacial temps while the vampires are out looking for a snack with sprinkles.”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
One reason the stock market has performed so much better in recent years is that investors weren’t being temped by yields in the bond market, which have been lousy.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
"They had temped in what I think are real eagle or hawk sounds, which sounded pretty good," said Baker.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2022
Then when I moved out here I temped at NBCUniversal for a while.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2018
She travelled and temped all around America for the next few years, always writing but not sure what to do with it.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 24, 2017
She asked that I remind her to bring along a young blonde who temped at the office to be in the throng the next day.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
I moved in with friends over the summer and started temping to make money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
She left home at 17 to work in the theater, temping at secretarial jobs while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill Tuesday after agreeing to changes including prohibiting the sale of chilled beer or wine that might be more temping to drink on the way home.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 28, 2020
Six months after graduating from the University of Connecticut, a typical 40-hour workweek for me includes a mix of temping for a local talent agency and bartending at Bowtie Cinemas.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2019
She’s spent the past summer temping, working for two months in the business office of an expensive midtown hotel.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
