stopgap
Plural: stopgaps
Noun
- A temporary substitute or makeshift solution.
- something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency
- That which stops up or fills a gap or hole.
- Something spoken to fill up an uncomfortable pause in speech; a filled pause or filler.
- A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution.
- A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution.
- A person appointed or hired to fill a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire can be made; a temp.
Adj
- Short-term; temporary.
- Filling a gap or pause.
Verb
- To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus).
- To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained.
- To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained.
- To work at a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire is made.
Examples
- The small company used their old product with a few kludged enhancements as a stopgap until they could develop a new product.
- They put a stopgap solution in place, but need something more permanent.
- When no good words came to mind, a three-letter word was a STOPGAP to get new tiles.
Origin / Etymology
The noun is derived from stop (“to close or block (an opening)”) + gap, from the phrase to stop a gap. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun, and the verb is derived from the noun.
Synonyms
make-do, makeshift, band-aid, band-aid solution, bandaid, bodge, cludge, fiddle, fillgap, hack, hack job, interim, jugaad, kludge, kluge, lash-up, patch, patch-up, put-together, quick fix, quick-and-dirty, stopgap, workaround
Scrabble Score: 12
stopgap: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordstopgap: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
stopgap: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary