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Definition of makeshift


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make·shift  audio  (mkshft) KEY  

NOUN:
A temporary or expedient substitute for something else.
ADJECTIVE:
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.


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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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