makeshift
/ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft/
makeshift noun: a temporary (usually insubstantial) substitution.
Noun (1)
makeshift (plural makeshifts)
- A temporary (usually insubstantial) substitution.
- And I am not a model clergyman—only a decent makeshift.1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XVII, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book II, page 316
- Hoboism cannot be cured or prevented by makeshifts or by local measures and efforts, although community interest naturally is vital in dealing with a problem that comes home to every community.1923, Benjamin C. Marsh, “For the Community to Do”, in The World tomorrow, volume 6
Adjective
makeshift (comparative more makeshift, superlative most makeshift)
- Made to work or suffice; improvised; substituted.
- They used the ledge and a few branches for a makeshift shelter.
- Hodgson was able to introduce Arsenal teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for his debut late on as this makeshift England line-up closed out a victory that was solid for the most part without ever threatening to be spectacular.2012 May 26, Phil McNulty, “Norway 0-1 England”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 25 Jun 2021
- Synonyms:
- jury-rigged, extemporaneous
Noun (2)
makeshift (plural makeshifts)
- A rogue; a shifty person.
- Greene the coneycatcher, of this dream the author, / For his dainty devise deserveth the halter. / A rakehell, a makeshift, a scribbling fool; / A famous bayard in city and school: / Now sick as a dog, and ever brain-sick, / Where such a raving and desperate Dick?1592, Gabriel Harvey, “The First Letter”, in Four Letters and Certain Sonnets, new edition, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, published 1814, A Due Commendation of the Quipping Author...
makeshift meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Kannada
makeshift in Hindi
- made to work or suffice
- कामचलाऊ kāmaclāū, चलाऊ calāū, जोड़-तोड़ joṛ-toṛ
makeshift in Urdu
- عارضی, کام چلاو, متبادل
makeshift in Malayalam
- provisional, temporary, stopgap
- താൽക്കാലികമായ, തൽക്കാലോപയുക്തമായ, തൽക്കാലത്തേക്കുള്ള, താല്ക്കാലികോപാധിയായ, താൽക്കാലികമായി കെട്ടിയുണ്ടാക്കിയ, അല്പകാലികോപായമായ
makeshift in Kannada
- ತಾತ್ಕಾಲಿಕ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ, ತಾತ್ಕಾಲಿಕ ಸಾಧನ, ತಾತ್ಕಾಲಿಕ, ತತ್ಕಾಲದ, ಹಂಗಾಮಿ, ಒಮ್ಮೆಗಿನ
Examples of makeshift in a sentence
- They'll never find us in this makeshift hideout we've got in the woods.
- The rioters had erected a makeshift barricade and were pelting the police with rocks from behind it.
- He managed to throw together a makeshift shelter using branches and leaves.
Synonyms of makeshift
Forms of makeshift
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | makeshifts |
| alternative form | make-shift |
| alternative form | make shift |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more makeshift |
| superlative | most makeshift |
Origin of makeshift
Deverbal from make shift. First appears c. 1554, in the publications of H. Hilarie.
1560s. From make + shift.
Words formed from makeshift
Questions about makeshift
- What does makeshift mean?
- Makeshift means a temporary (usually insubstantial) substitution.
- What is makeshift in Hindi?
- Makeshift in Hindi is कामचलाऊ (kāmaclāū), चलाऊ (calāū), जोड़-तोड़ (joṛ-toṛ). See Makeshift meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is makeshift?
- Makeshift can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce makeshift?
- Makeshift is pronounced /ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft/.
- What is the plural of makeshift?
- The plural of makeshift is makeshifts.
Words near makeshift in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: makeshift (page history and authors); makeshift (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); makeshift (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); makeshift (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-makeshift.ogg.
Cite this entry: “makeshift.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/makeshift. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.