a temporary expedient or substitute: We used boxes as a makeshift while the kitchen chairs were being painted.
adjective
Also makeshifty.serving as, or of the nature of, a makeshift.
Origin of makeshift
First recorded in 1555–65; noun, adj. use of verb phrase make shift
SYNONYMS FOR makeshift
1 make-do, contrivance, jury-rig.
2 emergency, temporary, improvised, jury, ersatz.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR makeshift ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby makeshift
make rounds, maker's mark, makerspace, make sail, make sense, makeshift, make short work of, make someone look good, make something of, make sport of, make stick
The makeshift school day takes place at Mathnasium, Sylvan Learning, or Code Ninja locations, with supplemental activities available between classes.
The best back-to-school benefits companies are offering their employees|ehinchliffe|September 10, 2020|Fortune
The gym, usually a hub for basketball, badminton, and volleyball leagues, as well as pickup games, has become a makeshift testing center.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
You can sit the phone open and facing you like a laptop to enable a makeshift two-display setup.
Small upgrades could make for big improvements in Samsung’s latest folding smartphone|Stan Horaczek|September 2, 2020|Popular Science
To accommodate the influx of patients, Ochsner was converting operating rooms into makeshift intensive care units.
Sent Home to Die|by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan|September 2, 2020|ProPublica
Faulconer’s office announced Tuesday that the city and nonprofit Alpha Project have begun moving homeless families into a makeshift shelter in South Bay.
Morning Report: 3 Body Cameras, No Footage|Voice of San Diego|July 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The party was full and I found a sofa near a makeshift bar in the corner.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She walked for two days before settling into a makeshift camp.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Earlier this week she pleaded with ISIS to uphold the verdict of a makeshift Sharia court, which ruled that he was not a spy.
ISIS Beheads British Aid Worker Alan Henning|Nico Hines|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To rally the crowd, Bennett sang on a makeshift stage constructed out of dozens of empty coffins.
Tony Bennett’s Nazi Hunting Past Is Just One Reason He’s the Greatest Living American|Asawin Suebsaeng|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A boiling brew is scooped into makeshift bowls—hollowed out coconut halves.
Bye Bye Latté, Hello Guayusa: Why The Amazon Holds the Secret to a Cleaner, Healthier Caffeine|Brandon Presser|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It filled me with bitterness to think that such a makeshift spectacle could amuse anyone.
A Son of the Middle Border|Hamlin Garland
Rand bent over his makeshift map again, marking in the names of the cities where he intended to refuel while in flight.
Helen in the Editor's Chair|Ruthe S. Wheeler
A member of the ——th battalion was fast asleep in his makeshift of a dug-out the night the Germans entered our lines.
Over the Top With the Third Australian Division|G. P. Cuttriss
He painted with such ease that he set small store on the talent: it was only a makeshift for advancement.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 4 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
He squatted down and dug at the ground with the makeshift arrow point.
The World That Couldn't Be|Clifford Donald Simak
British Dictionary definitions for makeshift
makeshift
/ (ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft) /
adjective
serving as a temporary or expedient means, esp during an emergency