STOPGAP Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'stopgap' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of stopgap are expedient , makeshift , resort , resource , and shift . While all these words mean "something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply," stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure. // a new law intended only as a stopgap

Q: When can 'expedient' be used instead of 'stopgap'?

The synonyms expedient and stopgap are sometimes interchangeable, but expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible. // a flimsy expedient

Q: In what contexts can 'makeshift' take the place of 'stopgap'?

While the synonyms makeshift and stopgap are close in meaning, makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference. // old equipment employed as a makeshift

Q: How are the words 'resource' and 'resort' related as synonyms of 'stopgap'?

Both resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon. // exhausted all of their resources // a last resort

Q: When might 'shift' be a better fit than 'stopgap'?

The words shift and stopgap can be used in similar contexts, but shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient. // desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

stopgap 1 of 2

noun

ˈstäp-ˌgap

Definition of stopgap

as in substitute

a temporary replacement the coach we have now was only hired as a stopgap until someone with more experience is found

Synonyms & Similar Words

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stopgap

2 of 2

adjective

as in makeshift

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of stopgap are expedient, makeshift, resort, resource, and shift. While all these words mean "something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply," stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

a new law intended only as a stopgap

When can expedient be used instead of stopgap?

The synonyms expedient and stopgap are sometimes interchangeable, but expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

a flimsy expedient

In what contexts can makeshift take the place of stopgap?

While the synonyms makeshift and stopgap are close in meaning, makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

old equipment employed as a makeshift

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

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

exhausted all of their resources

a last resort

When might shift be a better fit than stopgap?

The words shift and stopgap can be used in similar contexts, but shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

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 stopgap

Noun

The stagnancy is nagging, as is the choice to supplant Kat as Season 2’s primary villain in favor of Frankie, a stopgap baddie played by Johnny Flynn. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026 Warehouse on Wheels, which has more than 36,000 storage trailers serving a wide range of industries since it was founded in 2017, is banking on the industry’s need for stopgap measures. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Doctors interviewed for this story say past measures have been stopgap solutions -– for example, cracking down on unregistered clinics in Taunsa and suspending a local hospital superintendent. — Betsy Joles, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure that would continue funding the US government through early December. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stopgap

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stopgap

Noun

Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola dropped Virgil van Dijk to the substitutes’ bench with French defender Jérémy Jacquet starting.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
But there’s no substitute, at the end of the day, for the human biologist.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of substitute

Noun

For Morgan Stanley, investors will be watching strength in merger and acquisition advisory profits, as well as how the backup in bond yields that began in late August may affect lending, M & A activity and startup funding.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Hubbard has been carrying the weight of the run game pretty much by himself through four weeks; his usage wasn’t helped by the fact that backup running back Jonathon Brooks was placed on IR because of surgery to his core.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of backup

Adjective

Rivalries between these countries manifest in proxy struggles.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
The conflict has also turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the United States long involved on the periphery, providing intelligence assistance to the kingdom.

— Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of proxy

Adjective

The foundational text of Parton’s career, this 1971 single lovingly details her mother’s make-do resilience, stitching a fall coat from scraps of cloth in the spirit of a beloved Bible story.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Chess pie hails from an era of make-do pies.

— Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026

Definition of make-do

Browse Nearby Words

stopcocks

stopgap

stopgaps

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“Stopgap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stopgap. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stopgap

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