n.
A temporary or expedient substitute for something else.
adj.
Suitable as a temporary or expedient substitute: used a rock as a makeshift hammer.
SYNONYMS makeshift, expedient, resort, stopgap. These nouns denote something used as a substitute when other means fail or are not available: lacked a cane but used a stick as a makeshift; exhausted every expedient before filing suit; will use force only as a last resort; a crate serving as a stopgap for a chair.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
