Stopgap

//ˈstɒpɡæp// adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which stops up or fills a gap or hole. rare

    "[A] bit of ink and paper which has long been an innocent wrapping or stop-gap may at last be laid open under the one pair of eyes which have knowledge enough to turn it into the opening of a catastrophe."

  2. 2
    something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency wordnet
  3. 3
    Something spoken to fill up an uncomfortable pause in speech; a filled pause or filler. figuratively
  4. 4
    A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution. figuratively

    "The small company used their old product with a few kludged enhancements as a stopgap until they could develop a new product."

  5. 5
    A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution.; A person appointed or hired to fill a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire can be made; a temp. figuratively, specifically

    "As witness the following. Mr Strudwick, the regular master of the form, happened on one occasion to be away for a couple of days, and a stop-gap was put in in his place. The name of the stop-gap was Mr Somerville Smith. He and Farnie exchanged an unspoken declaration of war almost immediately."

Verb
  1. 1
    To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus). transitive
  2. 2
    To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained. intransitive
  3. 3
    To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained.; To work at a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire is made. intransitive, specifically
Adjective
  1. 1
    Short-term; temporary. not-comparable

    "They put a stopgap solution in place, but need something more permanent."

  2. 2
    Filling a gap or pause. not-comparable

Synonyms

All synonyms
make-domakeshiftmakeshiftactionad hocad hoc measure

Example

More examples

"Stopgap measures won't make a dent in drug addiction."

Etymology

The noun is derived from stop (“to close or block (an opening)”) + gap, from the phrase to stop a gap. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun, and the verb is derived from the noun.

Related phrases

band aid solutionshort term

More for "stopgap"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

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