Makeshift

//ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A temporary (usually insubstantial) substitution.

    "And I am not a model clergyman—only a decent makeshift."

  2. 2
    A rogue; a shifty person. obsolete

    "Greene the coneycatcher, of this dream the author, / For his dainty devise deserveth the halter. / A rakehell, a makeshift, a scribbling fool; / A famous bayard in city and school: / Now sick as a dog, and ever brain-sick, / Where such a raving and desperate Dick?"

  3. 3
    something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Made to work or suffice; improvised; substituted.

    "They used the ledge and a few branches for a makeshift shelter."

Adjective
  1. 1
    done or made using whatever is available wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
make doactionad hocad hoc measuread libad libitum

Example

More examples

"Actually that I bring a huge volume of reference material with me is a makeshift way of preventing people from disputing my case."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Deverbal from make shift. First appears c. 1554, in the publications of H. Hilarie.

Etymology 2

1560s. From make + shift.

Related phrases

make shift

More for "makeshift"

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