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
As the latter stomped down the catwalk, Anok gave Gabbriette a makeshift haircut. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025 On Saturday, the makeshift vessel of wooden planks on pontoons with a wooden rudder, beached in the choppy surf off the Martin County island, prompting the sheriff’s office to issue a statement on social media. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025 Villagers would be forced to flee their homes and packed into squalid makeshift camps. Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025 The clothes that Khaled had worn in detention were hanging behind them on a makeshift clothesline. Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025 On blazing summer days when Mookie had back-to-back baseball games, Willie devised makeshift canopies to provide shade for families. Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025 During the campaign, this was one of the private residences used as a makeshift hospital for wounded Confederates, hundreds of whom are believed to be buried in a mass grave a scant 50 feet from the house. Jim Beaugez, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025 The invaders did not fire at the crowds of unarmed locals manning the makeshift barriers. Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025 Wrap the pipe in makeshift insulation. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for makeshift
Adjective
  • When the humans return, there are only a handful, better clothed, hair braided and combed, new fashions.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • In September, Vanity Fair wrote a story detailing new revelations around his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s correspondence with the disgraced financier.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In Normal, Odenkirk plays an unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past who, after moving to a small, sleepy town, responds to a bank robbery and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Do not take this as a substitute for sitting down with someone in a white coat to tell you what’s what.
    Quispe López, Them., 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The alternative story of Helen’s Egyptian detour invites a more critical examination of the relationship between war and story by highlighting the degree to which humans have been conditioned by a narrative that presents war as the ultimate stage for personal and national glory.
    Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Second, the government data flow has been choppy in October, but alternative indicators and prior releases still point to slower growth alongside inflation that remains above target but trending less sticky at the margin.
    Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images The largest union representing federal workers on Monday called for Democrats in Congress to end the ongoing government shutdown by voting for the stopgap funding measure that Republicans have proposed.
    Dan Mangan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Government Shutdown Last week, the Senate attempted—and failed for the 12th time—to pass a stopgap funding measure that would keep the government running through November 21 at existing funding levels.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Haeckel’s Italian trip was part of a surreptitious alternate life plan.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The logos also pay homage to the show by featuring several branding elements at the heel and tongue, which reference the show’s alternate dimension, the Upside Down.
    Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Veteran backup Andy Dalton filled in for Young against Buffalo and produced more turnovers (3) than scoring drives (2).
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Times’ error immediately garnered write-ups in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other outlets.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Those same records also showed that the only other purchases of BAM in the state of Colorado had been from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency and the National Parks Service — both of which maintained careful records of any use of the drug, per the indictment.
    Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Makeshift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/makeshift. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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