Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

temporarily

American  
[tem-puh-rair-uh-lee, tem-puh-rer-] / ˌtɛm pəˈrɛər ə li, ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr- /

adverb

  1. only for a while or for the time being; not permanently.

    The website you were trying to reach is temporarily unavailable.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of temporarily

temporary ( def. ) + -ly


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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing temporarily

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:

"It's a very old idea," he says, noting that net pens have been used to rehabilitate injured wild whales, or temporarily used while re-introducing captured orcas back into the wild.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Production on ‘The Batman Part II’ has been temporarily paused while filmmaker Matt Reeves steps away for personal reasons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Going on vacation temporarily gets you away from your regular life.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Forty-three flights bound for Istanbul Airport had to be diverted Wednesday, as did three flights heading for Sabiha Gokcen on the Asian side, which temporarily suspended take-offs due to strong winds, the transport ministry said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

I ask, temporarily distracted from my sour mood.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com