Provisional refers to something that is temporary and exists only for the time being, pending permanent arrangement or establishment. It can be used to describe a government, election, contract, agreement, or any other arrangement that is subject to change. For example, a provisional government is one that is established temporarily until a new leader can be elected. A provisional status or approval is one that is granted for a limited time and can be renewed. In philately, a provisional stamp is one that is issued temporarily, pending the appearance of the regular issue, or during a temporary shortage of the regular stamps.