Temporarily

/ˌtɛmpəˈrɛrəli/

adverbBeginner📊CommonLiterature
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

For a limited period of time; not permanently.

/ˌtɛmpəˈrɛrəli/

adverbneutralBeginner
Literature

For a limited time

The road is temporarily closed due to construction.

💡 Simply: It means 'for a little while' or 'not forever.' Like when you borrow a friend's book temporarily, meaning you will return it.

👶 For kids: It means for a short time, not forever. Like when you play with a toy temporarily.

More Examples

2

She is temporarily staying with her parents.

3

We'll temporarily increase our prices to offset rising costs.

How It's Used

Business

"The company hired a temporary worker to cover the maternity leave."

Law

"The judge issued a temporary restraining order."

Everyday life

"I'm temporarily out of the office, please leave a message."

Idioms & expressions

temporary fix

A solution that resolves a problem for a short time but does not offer a long-term solution.

"The duct tape provided a temporary fix for the broken pipe."

From Latin 'temporarius' (temporary, lasting for a time), from 'tempus' (time). The suffix '-arily' indicates an adverbial form.

The word 'temporarily' and its root 'temporary' have existed since the late 16th century and became increasingly common in the context of business and legal matters.

Memory tip

Think of a *temp* worker: they're only there for a short *time*.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"lasting for a time, not permanent"

temporarily closedtemporarily unavailabletemporarily suspendedtemporarily out of stocktemporarily increase

Common misspellings

tempirarilytemporytemporarly

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written