ENGLISH
REFERENCE

makeshift

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft// UK //mˈeɪkʃɪft// makeshift Archaic

adj. made quickly using whatever materials you have around you because you do not have the right tools or equipment. It is usually a temporary solution to a problem.

adj. serving as a temporary substitute for something else; improvised from available resources. Often describes physical structures or tools created in an emergency or under resource constraints.


SIMPLE

They used a piece of wood as a makeshift table.

CONTEXTUAL

After the storm destroyed the bridge, the villagers built a makeshift crossing using fallen trees and thick rope.

COMPLEX

The refugees established a makeshift clinic in the abandoned warehouse, utilizing crates as examination tables and battery-powered lanterns for lighting during night shifts.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Deverbal from make shift. First appears c. 1554, in the publications of H. Hilarie.

Etymology 2

1560s. From make + shift.

Usage

Typically used attributively before the noun it modifies.

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