Make-do

adj, noun

adj, noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A temporary or makeshift expedient.

    "Even the play-acting of destructive power is only a run-through, or make-do, for the real thing, a way of familiarizing the participants to these roles when the real thing comes along."

  2. 2
    something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    improvised, makeshift

Example

More examples

"Even the play-acting of destructive power is only a run-through, or make-do, for the real thing, a way of familiarizing the participants to these roles when the real thing comes along."

Etymology

Deverbal from make do.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.