Meaning & use
workaround
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Meaning
nouncountableinformalcomputing
A way of getting a task done despite a problem, without repairing the cause of the problem.
Grammar: Followed by for or to: a workaround for the bug.
Patterns
- a workaround for something
- find a workaround
The developers found a workaround for the login bug until the update arrived.
As a workaround, we printed the forms and filled them out by hand.
Her workaround for the broken elevator was to hold the meeting downstairs.
Word forms
| plural | workarounds |
|---|
Common combinations
- find a workaround
- We must find a workaround before the launch.
- temporary workaround
- Restarting the router is only a temporary workaround.
- suggest a workaround
- Support staff suggested a workaround for the error message.
- simple workaround
- There is a simple workaround if the button does not appear.
- workaround for a bug
- The post describes a workaround for a bug in the app.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fix
- A fix removes the cause of the problem, while a workaround only avoids it.
- stopgap
- Stopgap names any temporary measure, whereas workaround specifically means going around an obstacle in a process or system.
- hack
- Hack is more casual and may suggest a clumsy or clever shortcut that is not meant to last.
- patch
- A patch is a piece of code or repair that corrects the fault, so it is closer to a fix than to a workaround.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: workaround or work-around?
workaround vs work-around
Work-around with a hyphen is a less common spelling of the same noun; the one-word form workaround is now standard.
Practice
The printer driver still crashes, but there is a ___ that lets you print by saving the file as a PDF first.
Choose one answer.
A workaround is a way to avoid a problem without fixing it. Workload, workout and workshop mean something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “workaround”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.