pro tempore

adverb

pro tem·​po·​re prō-ˈtem-pə-rē 

: for the time being

Examples of pro tempore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the gunman had been successful, Chuck Grassley, the ninety-two-year-old president pro tempore of the Senate, who skipped the dinner, would have been sworn in as President. —Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

That includes serving in both the House and Senate, serving as co-chairman of five different committees and being involved in major issues facing the legislature for 12 years as Senate majority leader before becoming Senate president pro tempore. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026

Grassley is the current Senate president pro tempore, or president pro tem, which places him third in line for the presidency after Vance and Johnson. —Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026

Senate president pro tempore 4. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pro tempore

adverb

pro tem·​po·​re prō-ˈtem-pə-rē 

: for the present

president pro tempore

Legal Definition

pro tempore

adverb or adjective

pro tem·​po·​re

prō-ˈtem-pə-rē, -pō-ˌrā

: for the time being : chosen or appointed to occupy a position either temporarily or in the absence of a regularly elected official

an administrator pro tempore

Etymology

Latin