makeshift

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For decades, small grooves on ancient human teeth were thought to be evidence of deliberate tool use – people cleaning their teeth with sticks or fibers, or easing gum pain with makeshift “toothpicks.”

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

One, a pediatric ER doctor, wrapped his arm in a makeshift tourniquet and stuffed the wound to staunch the bleeding while others called for help.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

As if to compensate, on a drizzly Sunday evening in Kyiv, a crowd gathered in the street beneath an apartment building’s third-floor balcony to hear a makeshift string quartet play concertos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

The port became known as the "dock of shame" after more than 2,500 migrants slept there in the open or under makeshift shelters during a surge in arrivals in 2020.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

It kept ripping tools, screws, and canvas out of his hands, but finally he constructed a makeshift frame.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan