Synonyms of makeshift

makeshift 1 of 3

adjective

as in new

taking the place of one that came before

turned a towel into a makeshift skirt

Synonyms & Similar Words

• new
• alternative
• alternate
• other
• substitute
• another
• second
• different
• extra
• substitutive
• separate
• improvised
• pinch
• successive
• spare
• equivalent
• utility
• jury

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• first
• original
• former
• same
• permanent
• identical
• equal
• lasting

makeshift

2 of 3

noun

ˈmāk-ˌshift 

as in substitute

a temporary replacement

when his belt broke, he was forced to use string as a makeshift

Synonyms & Similar Words

• substitute
• stopgap
• backup
• refuge
• expedient
• alternate
• stand-in
• recourse
• resort
• quick fix
• standby
• understudy

make shift

3 of 3

phrase

as in cope

to meet one's day-to-day needs

They were able to make shift without borrowing money.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cope
• do
• get on
• get by
• get along
• make out
• manage
• make ends meet
• make do
• survive
• shift
• fare
• carry on
• afford
• fend for oneself
• scrape (by or through)
• eke out
• last
• scrape (out)
• contrive
• scrounge
• squeeze
• wring
• swing
• wrest

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fall short
• fail
• collapse
• flounder
• decline
• slump
• peter (out)
• wane
• fizzle
• give up

Synonym Chooser

How is the word makeshift different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of makeshift are expedient, resort, resource, shift, and stopgap. While all these words mean "something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply," makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

old equipment employed as a makeshift

When is expedient a more appropriate choice than makeshift?

The words expedient and makeshift are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

a flimsy expedient

How are the words resource and resort related as synonyms of makeshift?

Both resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

exhausted all of their resources

a last resort

Where would shift be a reasonable alternative to makeshift?

Although the words shift and makeshift have much in common, shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

When could stopgap be used to replace makeshift?

The words stopgap and makeshift can be used in similar contexts, but stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

a new law intended only as a stopgap

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of makeshift

Adjective

Recently, the Bayless Family Foundation made a $1 million donation to help fund the museum’s $5 million West Wing renovation, transforming the makeshift event space into a professional theater. —Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026

In some cases, that means delaying repairs or patching things together, with artworks ending up in makeshift storage like garages or even bathrooms. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026

In past decades, those intrepid tourists who made it to Komodo gathered at a makeshift amphitheater where park guards had tied a goat to a stake. —Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026

There will also be a makeshift arch covering the fighters that will be lit up. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026

Several thousand navvies worked on the railway, living in makeshift camps, and many died in accidents, or from exposure and disease in the bitterly cold winters. —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 3 May 2026

Gary Wilcox, a member of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, concluded his opening remarks at the May Day protest with a blessing of the Miccosukee Tribe’s land, which is adjacent to the makeshift immigration detention camp, saying real suffering is happening to those being caged under the tents. —Churchill Ndonwie may 2, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026

In a makeshift demonstration kitchen in Concord, California, cooking oil splatters in and around a frying pan, which catches fire on an unattended gas stove. —Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026

And on smaller backroads, makeshift roadblocks have been put in place by settlers, blocking Palestinians’ access to land or natural resources, like spring water. —Molly Hunter, NBC news, 2 May 2026