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

Eileen Tyrrell, a 27-year-old bookseller, pulled the cushions off her couch to arrange makeshift seating in her Brooklyn apartment. — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 16 July 2026

In the clip, Honey is seen sitting on Jenner’s lap on a boat together and jumping into a makeshift pool on the beach as Jenner watches her. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

The defense attorney said Lawhead-Steele spent about four weeks in jail custody, forced to sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor because the jail cell was too crowded in South Carolina. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026

In the immense downtime between scenes during my visit this past September, the crew of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon trudges among plastic tents serving as makeshift production offices. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

At the center of Blitzer’s reporting is a man in his mid-fifties named Rey, who first came to the United States from Cuba on a makeshift raft, in 1994. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

The screenings have transformed Sikh temple compounds and village halls into makeshift cinemas where audiences watch not just a film but a retelling of memories of one of India’s bloodiest internal conflicts. — ABC News, 10 July 2026

In a victory march across the makeshift bridge, the soldiers transported 140 Carthaginian elephants from Sicily to Rome’s Circus Maximus, according to the first-century historian Pliny the Elder. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 July 2026

Since just after its discovery, the hole has been secured by a makeshift covering of plywood and two-by-fours donated by Hartford Lumber Co. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026