momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ly ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē 

1

: for a moment

The rain stopped momentarily.

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment : in a moment

The show will start momentarily.

Synonyms of momentarily

• shortly
• soon

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 show debuts on Adult Swim (and subsequently HBO Max) as Season 9 of Rick and Morty comes to an end on the same day, and the stars of the two shows do momentarily cross in the first episode. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026

His father, Brady Kiser, said that he was momentarily distracted when the incident unfolded and that Emilie was away at the time. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 3 July 2026

Her mother and sisters ultimately devised a balloon-popping reveal that left guests momentarily confused before the reality of the family's situation sank in. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026

His one-hop throw to the plate, which came after second baseman Casey Schmitt snagged a lineout but threw wildly to second base, momentarily preserved a scoreless game. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for momentarily

• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• necessarily
• ordinarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily

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