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  • temp
    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.
    temp.
    abbreviation
    temperature.
Synonyms

temp

1 American  
[temp] / tɛmp /

noun

  1. an office worker hired, usually through an agency on a per diem basis, for a short period of time; a temporary worker.

verb (used without object)

  1. to work on a per diem basis or as a temporary employee.

temp. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. temperature.

  2. temporary.

  3. in the time of.

temp. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. temperate

  2. temperature

  3. temporary

  4. tempore

"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
temp 2 British  
/ tɛmp /

noun

  1. a person, esp a typist or other office worker, employed on a temporary basis

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to work as a temp

"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 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.

Temp the stuffing just as you would the bird, deep in the center of the stuffing.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2024

Temp Cdr Owain Richards, lead for personal robbery in the Metropolitan Police, said that Mr Khan probably feared for his life during the "incredibly frightening" robbery.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2023

Suzanne Temp, a painting teacher, first suggested that Hudson work with printmaking.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

"Temp" is scribbled next to it, for temporary.

From Fox News • Sep. 2, 2021

Gregor was sorry Temp was injured but, on the plus side, he could now tell the roaches apart.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

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.