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ad hoc
/ˌæd ˈhɒk/Loanword from Latin ad hoc
created for a specific purpose
The company created an ad hoc team to handle the crisis.
The business formed a special team dedicated solely to managing this emergency.
Business
formal
Formed, created, or done for a particular purpose only, without pre-planning or a regular system.
The management meets on an ad hoc basis whenever urgent problems arise.
The managers gather as needed to solve specific issues rather than following a fixed schedule.
Can function as an adjective preceding a noun (e.g., an ad hoc solution) or as an adverb following a verb (e.g., handling issues ad hoc).
Collocations
ad hoc committeea temporary group established to address a single issuead hoc basisan arrangement made as the situation requiresad hoc decisiona choice made spontaneously for a unique circumstancead hoc solutionan improvised fix created for a specific problem
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Use it to describe temporary arrangements
Reach for 'ad hoc' when you want to highlight that something was set up specifically to tackle a single issue and is not meant to be permanent or routine.
Gold Rule
Ad hoc vs. Permanent
Never call a routine standing group or scheduled meeting 'ad hoc'. It only applies to temporary responses created on the spot.
Word Origin
Direct borrowing from Latin 'ad hoc', literally meaning 'to this' or 'for this specific purpose'.
Usage Notes
Widely used in business, legal, academic, and professional writing. When used as an adjective before a noun, it is occasionally hyphenated ('ad-hoc'), though 'ad hoc' without a hyphen remains the standard form in most style guides.
Word Breakdown
ad
to / for
roothoc
this
rootEnglish Dictionary