stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

often attributive

: something that serves as a temporary expedient : makeshift

stopgap measures

Synonyms

• expedient
• makeshift

Choose the Right Synonym for stopgap

resource, resort, expedient, shift, makeshift, stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply.

resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

exhausted all of their resources

a last resort

expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

a flimsy expedient

shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

old equipment employed as a makeshift

stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

a new law intended only as a stopgap

Examples of stopgap in a Sentence

The new law is intended only as a stopgap.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

This risk-free structure allows employers to shift funds away from temporary stopgaps like contract labor and sign-on bonuses and toward investments in long-term, stable staffing. —Maria Flynn, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

Schumer and nine other Democrats in the Senate voted to advance the GOP’s stopgap bill, giving Republicans a big win. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025

Sinema responded by pointing to Democrats who had campaigned or called on the filibuster to be eliminated voting to filibuster the stopgap funding bill last week. —Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 15 Mar. 2025

For the time being, a stopgap bill is expected to be passed with the support of Democrats in the Senate today, which would fund the government through Sept. 30 as the House has already signed off on it. —Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stopgap

• bandgap
• bitmap
• blackcap
• blackstrap
• bootstrap
• burlap
• claptrap
• entrap
• foolscap
• kidnap
• kneecap
• madcap

Kids Definition

stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

: something that fills a gap : a temporary substitute