temporarily
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
- nontemporarily adverb
Etymology
Origin of temporarily
Explanation
Temporarily describes something that happens for a limited amount of time. If you agree to watch your friend's dog temporarily, you'll be surprised if it turns out that your friend will be in France for at least two years. Temporarily is the adverbial form of "temporary," which comes from the Latin word tempus, meaning time. Something done temporarily is supposed to be concluded in a finite amount of time. If your car is temporarily out of commission, you expect that you will be able to fix it and get it back on the road. If you drop the word temporarily from that sentence, your car may be a goner.
Vocabulary lists containing temporarily
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temp
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
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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.
The organizers of the educational program agreed to close their facility temporarily.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
At home, the federal government is asking consumers to use less fuel while some state governments have made public transport free temporarily to encourage motorists to leave their car at home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
That opens the door to Powell staying on temporarily.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The pipeline also has been temporarily closed due to ongoing disputes.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Not long after he graduated, the university was closed temporarily and its scholars dispersed to avoid the plague.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
