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

Congressional lawmakers are racing to pass their second stopgap funding measure of the fiscal year to avoid a Friday shutdown deadline. —Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, lawmakers on the party's right flank have already expressed opposition to the stopgap measure. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2024

Asked about Collins’s proposal to pass a stopgap lasting only until January, Johnson said his preference is to set the next government funding deadline in mid-March. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024

Outgoing budget minister Laurent Saint-Martin described the measure as a stopgap to ensure public services continue uninterrupted until a proper 2025 budget law can be adopted under the new administration. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 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