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

Kisky wasted no time bailing out of his makeshift observation post. — Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026

Outside their perimeters, vendors hawked noodles and cigarettes from makeshift stalls. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

The whole set-up is willfully exaggerated but also looks like the sort of makeshift studio that actually existed in 1927 when the play is set. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Oct. 2026

Many migrants who remained in Ceuta have sheltered in Muslim neighborhoods, sleeping on streets, in doorways and in makeshift tent camps and centers run by NGOs and locals. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Four people from the makeshift refugee camp in the park were quickly recruited. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

In the Jabaliya area of the northern Gaza Strip, Abdullah Abu Zubaida’s family lives in a makeshift shelter built from the debris of their house. — Joseph Krauss, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

The crew decamped to Joshua Tree, jamming around a campfire and recording in a makeshift studio in their Airbnb. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Not far away, armed men had been occupying makeshift barricades, blocking roads and turning some drivers away. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026