English Reference
noun · adjective

temp

n. · adj.
US /ˈtɛmp/ UK /tˈɛmp/ temp UK spelling temps

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate Informal

    n.a person who is hired to work for a short time, often to help when a company is busy.

    n.a temporary employee, typically hired through an agency for a limited duration to cover leave or peak workloads.

    Simple

    The office hired a temp to help with the extra paperwork this month.

    In context

    The agency sent a highly skilled temp to manage the reception desk while the permanent staff member was on maternity leave.

    contractorseasonal worker
  2. 02 B1 Intermediate Informal

    n.a short way to say how hot or cold something is.

    n.a clipping of temperature, used in casual speech or technical shorthand.

    Simple

    The nurse came in to take my temp every four hours.

    In context

    The chef checked the internal temp of the roast to ensure it had reached the required safety standard before serving.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced TechnicalInformal Computing

    n.a piece of data in a computer program that is only needed for a short time.

    n.a temporary variable or file used to store data briefly during a computation or process.

    Simple

    I used a temp to store the value while the two numbers were swapped.

    In context

    The script creates a temp in the local directory to hold the intermediate results before the final output is generated.

    constantpersistent data
  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    adj.lasting for only a short time; not permanent.

    adj.an abbreviation of temporary, used in informal writing or technical labels.

    Simple

    They set up a temp office in the warehouse while the main building was being painted.

    In context

    The project manager assigned a temp password to the new user, which would expire after the first login.

    short termprovisional
This entry
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated