momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ly ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē How to pronounce momentarily (audio)
1
: for a moment
2
archaic : instantly
3
: at any moment : in a moment

Examples of momentarily in a Sentence

The wind let up momentarily, allowing us to start a campfire. He paused momentarily before finishing his speech. We expect them to arrive momentarily.
Recent Examples on the Web The 2024 Oscars was momentarily delayed because of protesters converging in Hollywood to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The runway was momentarily closed for crews to clear any debris from the incident, according to NBC Bay Area. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 momentarily reached a record high in early trading but slipped later to 39,794.13, down 0.7%. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 Departing momentarily from the familiar jazz stylings of the band Mr. Miss, Liu Lian ventures into the realm of self-expression as a solo artist, unveiling a profound understanding of self-love through forays into new musical genres like dream pop. Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Suddenly, the dancers throw themselves protectively around the boy as a flash of light momentarily floods the stage and the ballet winds back to the moment of death; the boy falls to the floor and the father drops to his knees, takes the boy’s hand, and steadies his gaze. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, sunshine will return momentarily with a high near 59 and a low around 39. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024 With his public comments on Justin and Hailey Bieber, Marx momentarily achieved exposure outside those conservative circles. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 But after stopping momentarily, Caro-Mena took off in the Camaro and police gave chase, Zabaleta said. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'momentarily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of momentarily was in 1655

Dictionary Entries Near momentarily

Cite this Entry

“Momentarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentarily. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

momentarily

adverb
mo·​men·​tari·​ly
ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē
1
: for a moment
the pain eased momentarily
2
archaic : instantly
3
: at any moment
we expect them momentarily

More from Merriam-Webster on momentarily

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!