plural stopgaps
: someone or something that is intended to be used for a short time and then replaced by someone or something better : a temporary substitute
The new law is intended only as a stopgap.
—often used before another nouna stopgap solution
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“Stopgap.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/stopgap. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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