stopgap means short-term; temporary.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, stopgap ranks #457 of 42,747 for Qualifying.
stopgap is pronounced /ˈstɒpɡæp/.
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.
adj
- Short-term; temporary.e.g.“They put a stopgap solution in place, but need something more permanent.”
- Filling a gap or pause.
noun
- 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.e.g.“The small company used their old product with a few kludged enhancements as a stopgap until they could develop a new product.”
- 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.
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.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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