makeshift 1 of 3

makeshift

2 of 3

noun

as in substitute
a temporary replacement when his belt broke, he was forced to use string as a makeshift

Synonyms & Similar Words

make shift

3 of 3

phrase

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of makeshift
Adjective
In six months, the site has grown from 600 people fleeing gang attacks in nearby Delmas 30 to 5,000 people from all over the capital, sheltering in packed government offices and makeshift shacks. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025 When the comics got on the makeshift stage, hardly anyone was even looking at us. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025 For now, visitors enter the church through a makeshift side entrance in the Nativity façade. D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025 At first, drones were used to scout and drop makeshift bombs onto enemy troops’ heads. Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025 Because Palm Beach Atlantic doesn’t have a football program, the Pats practiced on soccer fields with makeshift field goal posts. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025 But many say there is not enough space to accommodate more makeshift shelters. Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025 Well-wishers pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at the national headquarters of Turning Point USA on September 10, 2025, in Phoenix following the killing of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization, during a Utah college event on Wednesday. Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 One of the images shared showed what appeared to be a makeshift hut surrounded by trees, while another showed a shelter, and one featured a tent and tarp, a gas bottle,a camping stove, and packs of what appeared to be alcohol. Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for makeshift
Adjective
  • This reduces waste, extends product lifespan, and minimizes the use of new materials.
    Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Ahead of the premiere of her new Netflix series, Too Much, written for her by Lena Dunham, the 33-year-old reflects on what got her to this moment.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The last 11 players on the pitch go into the huddle; the substitutes are not involved, making the circle smaller and ensuring players can hear.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The Sacramento River acted as a substitute for the Mississippi River.
    John Turton, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Manning was heard on the alternative broadcast saying the Bears should have just kicked it out of bounds.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Global talent pools where diverse voices contribute alternative framings to your toughest challenges.
    David Henkin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But there are hard-line conservatives in both chambers who have been calling for the party to back a longer-term stopgap into next year.
    Aris Folley, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Appropriators are working behind the scenes to craft a yearlong bipartisan spending plan but are likely to need another stopgap funding measure to avoid a shutdown, which will require at least seven Democrats to cross the aisle and break a 60-vote filibuster.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • At the conclusion of September’s selection event, four athletes and up to two non-traveling alternate athletes will be named to the team.
    Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The factory 170mm fans can also be positioned slightly higher on the front panel by removing the top filler panel visible above, snapping the fans into their alternate mounting holes, and reinstalling both filler panels at the bottom of the opening.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That backup has since grown into a hundreds-strong campaign to refute the DHS allegations, which supporters call a resurgence of anti-Muslim fearmongering that has persisted across party lines since the 9/11 attacks 24 years ago this month.
    Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The primary backup appears to have dodged a bullet.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In order to embolden and support his organization, bin Laden often videotaped himself with messages aimed at his target audience, established training centers in Afghanistan, had an expansive funding network that included wealthy individuals, couriers, mosques and other complex ways to raise funds.
    Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement Kirk’s path to national prominence was unlike that of other MAGA icons.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Makeshift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/makeshift. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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