Interim means temporary or in between, describing something that fills a gap until a permanent solution arrives. When a principal retires mid-year, the school board might appoint an interim principal to lead the school until they can hire someone permanently. When a sports team fires its coach during the season, an interim coach takes over until the team finds the right person for the job.

The word captures that sense of “for now” or “in the meantime.” An interim report gives you information about a project that's still underway. Interim results show how something is going before it's finished. A student government might pass an interim rule that applies until they can write and vote on permanent guidelines.

You might also see interim used as a noun, as in “in the interim,” meaning the time between two events. If your family is moving to a new house next month, you might stay with relatives in the interim. The word helps us talk about those transitional moments when we're between one thing and the next, using temporary arrangements until something more lasting takes their place.