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Glite Dictionary
make-do

make-do

1 5.7
A temporary thing used instead of what you need
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪkˌdu/
translation icon : solución improvisada
  • The cotton dresses reminded me of the "make-do" patchwork clothing my beautiful grandmother Ruth wore.

Examples

  • And the walking lard repositories will serve as make-do bacon if the bacon shortage gets serious.

    Blog text (6)

  • At seven o'clock, behind him, agents were busy constructing what looked to be two make-do kitchens.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Build a closet that encloses all the must-have items instead of those make-do ones.

    Blog text (20)

  • During the event, we had to use a make-do table made from old crates.

  • For tonight's dinner, they prepared a make-do meal with whatever ingredients they had on hand.

  • The team devised a make-do solution to complete the project when the proper tools were unavailable.

Synonyms

stopgap
vsmake-do
14 5.2

A temporary solution used until a permanent one is found

is a general improvised substitute not always intended to last until a permanent fix
makeshift
vsmake-do
1 4.3

A thing used for a short time to solve a problem in an emergency

has identical sense but appears as a hyphenated two-word form

Antonyms

permanent
650 3.2

Continuing for a long time and unlikely to change

How Temporary

quick-and-dirty fix
  • Informal
6.6
make-do
1 5.7
stopgap
14 5.2

Surface Forms

make-do singular
make-dos plural

Etymology

Make-do comes from the simple idea of make + do, meaning 'to make something that will do'. So a make-do is a quick, temporary thing that is 'good enough' until you can get a proper one.