as in to patch (together)
to make or assemble roughly or hastily
we jury-rigged shelves out of cartons and crates until we could afford real furniture
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Recent Examples of jury-rig
To jury-rig a weathervane, an empty soda bottle with some hazard tape attached had been placed upside-down on a stick.
—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
That realization has, in recent weeks, set off a scramble on the part of the Iranian regime to find suitable storage, an effort that has entailed everything from reactivating old storage facilities to jury-rigging vacant tankers to serve the purpose.
—
Ilan Berman,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
On the other side of the space is a practice stage for the Arts-In musical and several meeting rooms and work spaces, some intentionally built and others jury-rigged with temporary partitions.
—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
20 Apr. 2026
For pet owner Tyler (who preferred not to use his last name), relocating from Napa to New York with his dog Bread meant jury-rigging a plan when no Bark flights were available on his travel date.
—
Beth Landman,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Drones jury-rigged by criminals have damaged homes and and killed children.
—
John Otis,
NPR,
16 July 2025
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
That realization has, in recent weeks, set off a scramble on the part of the Iranian regime to find suitable storage, an effort that has entailed everything from reactivating old storage facilities to jury-rigging vacant tankers to serve the purpose.
—
Ilan Berman,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
On the other side of the space is a practice stage for the Arts-In musical and several meeting rooms and work spaces, some intentionally built and others jury-rigged with temporary partitions.
—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
20 Apr. 2026
For pet owner Tyler (who preferred not to use his last name), relocating from Napa to New York with his dog Bread meant jury-rigging a plan when no Bark flights were available on his travel date.
—
Beth Landman,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Drones jury-rigged by criminals have damaged homes and and killed children.
—
John Otis,
NPR,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jury-rig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jury-rig. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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