stopgaps

plural of stopgap
as in makeshifts
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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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 stopgaps Grocery stores have been the primary place families went for food, while pantries, community kitchens, and other emergency food providers served as temporary stopgaps. — Greg Silverman, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 The risks and challenges of government AI use Broader reports on AI adoption in the government shows a slower adoption story, full of challenges and stopgaps. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 June 2026 Both Salisbury and Schuster see the LCS as primarily stopgaps for the Navy, likely to give way to a new generation of frigates that was announced last December. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 28 May 2026 The morning appetite is a different animal from its midday and evening counterparts; there is no growing anticipation, no gradual negotiation, no consideration of snacks or other stopgaps. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 3 May 2026 What’s heightening the crisis is that stopgaps typically used to offset supply shocks have been rendered moot. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 The Sharks have long needed to upgrade on defense, but the preference should be toward finding longer-term solutions than the current stopgaps. — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026 At the moment, staffers at Mission Valley are relying on stopgaps like plugging a long extension cord into a nearby fire station for power. — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025 The 29-year-old Russell and even the 33-year-old Irving are stopgaps. — Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stopgaps
substitutes
Noun
  • Moreover, both sides are now able to target the substitutes and reserves that in the past could be used to cushion losses.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
  • To be sure, odds and gambling platforms do not use methodologies used by traditional political polling, and therefore are not substitutes for political polls.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Stopgaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stopgaps. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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