interim

[ in-ter-uhm ]

noun

1. an intervening time; interval; meantime:

   School doesn't start till September, but he's taking a Spanish class in the interim.

2. a temporary or provisional arrangement; stopgap; makeshift:

   As an interim, her summer job was pretty good.

3. Interim, Church History. any of three provisional arrangements for the settlement of religious differences between German Protestants and Roman Catholics during the Reformation.

adjective

1. for, during, belonging to, or connected with an intervening period of time; temporary; provisional:

   This is just an interim arrangement till office renovations are finished.

   She is the organization’s interim director while the board reviews applications for the role.

adverb

1. meanwhile def.

Interim

¹

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

noun

1. any of three provisional arrangements made during the Reformation by the German emperor and Diet to regulate religious differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants

interim

²

/ ˈɪntərɪm /

adjective

1. prenominal temporary, provisional, or intervening

   interim measures to deal with the emergency

noun

1. the interim
   the intervening time; the meantime (esp in the phrase in the interim )

adverb

1. rare.
   meantime

Word History and Origins

Origin of interim¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin: “in the meantime,” from inter “between” + -im, adverb suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of interim¹

C16: from Latin: meanwhile

Idioms and Phrases

see in the interim .

Example Sentences

“Pertussis activity continues to increase, and we are seeing an upswing in cases on track to returning to pre-pandemic numbers,” Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the interim San Diego County public health officer, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

The Children’s Museum is now an interim homeless shelter.

From Los Angeles Times

In the interim, the two sides conferred and came to an agreement on a different policy — but one that also mentions the need to cooperate with oversight investigations.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s tough taking over as an interim coach, with lots of pressure.

From Los Angeles Times

“These cases are rare,” said Oscar Monge, the group’s interim executive director.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• provisional