stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

often attributive

: something that serves as a temporary expedient : makeshift

stopgap measures

Synonyms

• expedient
• makeshift

Choose the Right Synonym for stopgap

resource, resort, expedient, shift, makeshift, stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply.

resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

exhausted all of their resources

a last resort

expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

a flimsy expedient

shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

old equipment employed as a makeshift

stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

a new law intended only as a stopgap

Examples of stopgap in a Sentence

The new law is intended only as a stopgap.

the coach we have now was only hired as a stopgap until someone with more experience is found

Recent Examples on the Web

Biden signs stopgap measure to avoid government shutdown President Joe Biden signed a congressional stopgap bill on Friday, the White House said, officially avoiding a partial government shutdown one day before it was slated to begin. —Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 20 Jan. 2024

But as a stopgap measure, an Autonomous Incidents Agreement could start by regulating not AI code but AI behavior—setting rules and standards for expected conduct for both AI and autonomous systems and the militaries that use them. —Lauren Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2023

David Koechner, the comedian-actor-writer-producer rooted in improv, typically was a stopgap. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2024

Baltimore Public Media is bringing back and expanding the New/Next Film Festival, an event originally conceived as a stopgap measure until the troubled Maryland Film Festival could figure out its plans. —Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

: something that fills a gap : a temporary substitute