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provisional

/proʊˈvɪʒɪnəl/
/prəˈvɪʒɪnəl/
IPA guide

Something provisional is temporary, in the sense that it's only valid for a while. You'll often hear provisional used to describe things such as governments, elections, contracts, and agreements, all of which can change into something permanent.

People who go camping take provisions, which means supplies for the trip. This can be helpful when you're trying to use provisional properly. Remember that those provisions are, well, provisional—they're only supposed to last until the campers get home, where the real food is waiting. If you're in a rush to start filming, you might consider giving your star a provisional contract, so that you can at least get started. You'll have time to replace the provisional one with a permanent one while you film.

Definitions of provisional
  1. adjective
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
    “a provisional government”
    conditional
    imposing or depending on or containing a condition
Pronunciation
US
/proʊˈvɪʒɪnəl/
UK
/prəˈvɪʒɪnəl/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘provisional'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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