: formed or used for specific or immediate problems or needs
ad hoc solutions
2
: fashioned from whatever is immediately available : improvised
large ad hoc parades and demonstrations Nat Hentoff
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In Latin ad hoc literally means "for this," and in English it describes anything that can be thought of as existing "for this purpose only." For example, an ad hoc committee is generally authorized to look into a single matter of limited scope, not to pursue any issue of interest. Ad hoc can also be used as an adverb meaning "for the particular end or case at hand without consideration of wider application," as in "decisions were made ad hoc."
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Using Ad Hoc
Ad hoc literally means "for this" in Latin, and in English this almost always means "for this specific purpose." Issues that come up in the course of a project often require immediate, ad hoc solutions. An ad hoc investigating committee is authorized to look into a matter of limited scope. An ad hoc ruling by an athletic council is intended to settle a particular case, and is not meant to serve as a model for later rulings. If an organization deals with too many things on an ad hoc basis, it may mean someone hasn't been doing enough planning.
Adjective The mayor appointed an ad hoc committee to study the project. We had to make some ad hoc changes to the plans. We'll hire more staff on an ad hoc basis.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Collaborations among crypto skeptics have mostly been ad hoc. David Ingram, NBC News, 15 Aug. 2022 They are designed to choke any possibility for the kind of spontaneous, ad hoc commercial and community happenings that are the lifeblood of urban existence.Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2022 Testing must shift from an ad hoc and symptomatic standard toward a ubiquitous, accessible screening paradigm. Amy Lauren Fairchild And Samuel S. Malloy, STAT, 5 Nov. 2021 Cloud servers can upgrade your server capacity on both a long-term and ad hoc basis. Andre Reitenbach, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Some analysts said that the proposal feels rushed and ad hoc, along with Mr. Wang’s visit, which appears to have been hastily pulled together, with Covid keeping travel limited and some stops still not confirmed.New York Times, 25 May 2022 Though not a party, Ukraine has voluntarily accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC on an ad hoc basis over crimes committed on its territory. Ruti Teitel, CNN, 6 Apr. 2022 Another 15% offer the option on an informal or ad hoc basis, frequently to employees in hard-to-fill roles. Anne Tergesen And Lauren Weber, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2022 But even smaller companies can set up partnerships that give workers access to counseling on an ad hoc basis. Patricia L. Haynes, The Conversation, 7 Feb. 2022 See More