makeshift
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
makeshift¹
- /ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft/
Where it comes from
Deverbal from make shift. First appears c. 1554, in the publications of H. Hilarie.
noun makeshifts · make-shift · make shift
- A temporary (usually insubstantial) substitution. And I am not a model clergyman—only a decent makeshift.
adjective more makeshift · most makeshift · make-shift · make shift
-
Made to work or suffice; improvised; substituted.
They used the ledge and a few branches for a makeshift shelter.
Similar: jury-rigged, extemporaneous
makeshift²
Where it comes from
1560s. From make + shift.
noun makeshifts · make-shift · make shift
- A rogue; a shifty person. Greene the coneycatcher, of this dream the author, / For his dainty devise deserveth the halter. / A rakehell, a makeshift, a scribbling fool; / A famous bayard in city and school: / Now sick as a dog, and ever brain-sick, / Where such a raving and desperate Dick?
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: jury-rigged, stopgap, impermanent, temporary, improvised, fallback, hasty, mobile, precarious, interim, transitional, substitute, alternative, alternate, impromptu, tentative
Translations
Every language
noun temporary substitution
| Español | apaño |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 權宜之計 /权宜之计 quányízhījì |
| Português | improviso |
| Deutsch | Provisorium, Notlösung, Notbehelf |
| Italiano | ripiego, improvvisazione |
| Русский | вре́менная заме́на vrémennaja zaména, вре́менное приспособле́ние vrémennoje prisposoblénije |
| עברית | תחליף takhlíf |
adj made to work or suffice
| 日本語 | 間に合わせの, 仮の |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 因陋就簡的 /因陋就简的 yīnlòujiùjiǎn de, 就地取材的 jiùdìqǔcái de, 简易的 jiǎnyì de, 臨時搭建的 /临时搭建的 línshí dājiàn de, 臨時代用的 /临时代用的 línshí dàiyòng de, 湊合的 /凑合的 còuhe de |
| हिन्दी | कामचलाऊ kāmaclāū, चलाऊ calāū, जोड़-तोड़ joṛ-toṛ |
| Português | improvisado |
| Français | de fortune, improvisé |
| Deutsch | behelfsmäßig, provisorisch |
| Italiano | improvvisato, di fortuna, provvisorio, arraffazzonato |
| Română | provizoriu |
| Русский | вре́менный vrémennyj, импровизи́рованный improvizírovannyj, самоде́льный samodélʹnyj |
| עברית | חלופי khalufí, ארעי araí, מאולתר meultár |
Talk about this word "makeshift." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/makeshift. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. makeshift. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/makeshift "makeshift." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/makeshift.Cite this
@misc{makeshift_2026,
title = {makeshift},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/makeshift},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
