What does Makeshift mean?

Definitions for Makeshift
ˈmeɪkˌʃɪftmakeshift

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Makeshift.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. makeshift, stopgap, make-doadjective

    something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency

  2. improvised, jury-rigged, makeshiftadjective

    done or made using whatever is available

    "crossed the river on improvised bridges"; "the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear"; "the rock served as a makeshift hammer"

GCIDE

  1. makeshiftnoun

    That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient, with implication of inferiority to the more usual object or means. James Mill.

Wiktionary

  1. makeshiftnoun

    A temporary, usually insubstantial, substitution for something else.

  2. makeshiftadjective

    Made to work or suffice; improvised; substituted.

    They used the ledge and a few branches for a makeshift shelter.

ChatGPT

  1. makeshift

    Makeshift refers to something that is temporary, quickly made, or used as a substitute because the proper or original item is not available. It's often characterized by being less ideal or less effective than the optimal or desired solution.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Makeshiftnoun

    that with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Makeshift?

How to say Makeshift in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Makeshift in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Makeshift in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Makeshift in a Sentence

  1. British Prime Minister David Cameron:

    We've got to break the business model of the criminal smugglers and stop the desperate flow of people crammed into makeshift vessels from embarking on a fruitless and perilous journey.

  2. Carl Mueller:

    She was held in many prisons, she was held in solitary confinement. She was tortured. She was intimidated. She was ultimately raped by al-Baghdadi himself. The Obama administration was criticized over a reported 2015 rescue mission that targetedfour prisoners heldat a makeshift ISIS prison. By the time U.S. commandos stormed the compound, the hostages were already gone. Some relatives and people who worked on the raid blamed the White House for not acting swiftly enough on giving the mission a green light. Specific intelligence had emerged in late Mayproviding officials with the hostages likely location -- including a building, sources told Fox News at the time. The intelligence was described as being.

  3. Sterling Candland:

    When she came out, she had a makeshift sling on her arm, and she just looked very rundown. We just looked at each other. We can't just walk away from this one with a good conscience.

  4. Simon Missiri:

    Many families with young children and the elderly have been left homeless. They are living in makeshift shelters on embankments and river banks, for well over a month people's coping mechanisms have been worn down by successive waves of flooding. Cyclone Komen made a bad situation even worse. There are high levels of vulnerability in these communities which must not be neglected.

  5. Tin Swe Myint:

    We just don't know how many people exactly were buried since we don't have any data on people living there, it was just a slum with these ... workers living in makeshift tents.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Makeshift#10000#43512#100000

Translations for Makeshift

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • provisionalCatalan, Valencian
  • Notlösung, behelfsmäßig, Notbehelf, Provisorium, provisorischGerman
  • provisional, apaño, improvisaciónSpanish
  • hätävara -, tilapäis-, hätävaraFinnish
  • de fortuneFrench
  • sealachScottish Gaelic
  • fortinHaitian Creole
  • improvvisato, improvvisazione, di fortuna, ripiegoItalian
  • noodoplossing, provisorischDutch
  • improvisert, nødløsningNorwegian
  • prowizoryczny, prowizorkaPolish
  • improviso, improvisadoPortuguese
  • самодельный, временная замена, временное приспособление, временный, импровизированныйRussian

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"Makeshift." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 9 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Makeshift>.

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