temporarily
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of temporarily
Explanation
Temporarily describes something that happens for a limited amount of time. If you agree to watch your friend's dog temporarily, you'll be surprised if it turns out that your friend will be in France for at least two years. Temporarily is the adverbial form of "temporary," which comes from the Latin word tempus, meaning time. Something done temporarily is supposed to be concluded in a finite amount of time. If your car is temporarily out of commission, you expect that you will be able to fix it and get it back on the road. If you drop the word temporarily from that sentence, your car may be a goner.
Vocabulary lists containing temporarily
Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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temp
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
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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.
On Tuesday, the Volcano fire in Riverside County grew to more than 144 acres and temporarily forced evacuations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026
In May, Darwin filed a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking the state from imposing the new rules.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
Looking ahead, asset quality will be a key area to watch as supply chain-related inflation risks build, while the proposed expansion of the Malaysia’s benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index could temporarily reduce the sector’s weighting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, the US Treasury earlier on Tuesday also revoked a sanctions waiver that had temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
The little taxi rocked on tall waves, and the boys were temporarily blinded by a Gold spotlight shining through the raindrops.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
