brief

adjective

\ ˈbrēf

Definition of brief

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : short in duration, extent, or length a brief meeting

2a : concise gave a brief description of events promises to be brief

b : curt, abrupt

brief

noun

Definition of brief (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : an official letter or mandate (see mandate entry 1 sense 1) especially, Roman Catholicism : a papal letter less formal than a bull

b : a specific instruction or responsibility his brief was to strengthen the army

2a : a concise article (as in a newspaper) a news brief

b : synopsis, summary

c law : a concise statement of a client's case made out for the instruction of an attorney usually by a law clerk

3 : an outline of an argument especially, law : a formal written presentation of an argument that sets forth the main points with supporting precedents and evidence a legal brief filed a brief

4 briefs plural [ ¹brief ] : short snug pants or underpants wearing briefs

in brief

: in a few words : briefly today's news in brief

brief

verb

briefed; briefing; briefs

Definition of brief (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to make an abstract or abridgment of brief a report summarized northeastern Siberian archaeology and has briefed many normally unavailable sources— Wendell Oswalt

2a : to give final precise instructions to were briefed before their mission

b : to coach thoroughly in advance

c : to give essential information to The president is being briefed by his advisors.

3 : to discuss (something, such as a military operation) in a briefing briefed the mission

Other Words from brief Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about brief

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Examples of brief in a Sentence

Adjective

The meeting will be brief. The essay is brief but thorough enough. a few brief words of caution

Noun

Her brief is to manage the company's sales department. a one-page brief of the intelligence report

Verb

The captain briefed the crew on the new safety procedures. The President has been briefed by his advisers.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

August 2’s the date, and EA released a brief live-action reveal trailer this week. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Razer is making a toaster, Sonic has human baby teeth," 3 May 2019 But the forces of light have been prevailing over the crony capitalists for a brief moment, if GOP reformers in Congress can extract changes. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Honey, We Shrunk the Ex-Im Bank," 1 May 2019 Here were black South Africans competing against white South Africans, sharing, for a brief moment, the same goal, the same struggle, the same pain. — Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "South Africa's unlikely ultramarathoner helps others cross the finish line," 6 July 2018 That's why a brief drive in the car without any sunscreen leaves you a little pink, while falling asleep for a few hours in a beach chair leads to a much redder, angrier burn. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How Long a Sunburn Lasts Before Fading Away — And How to Make It Heal Faster," 17 Apr. 2019 Indeed, the America First Committee for a brief time even enjoyed the support of some young liberals, such as Kingman Brewster and Sargent Shriver. — Fergus M. Bordewich, WSJ, "‘Behold, America’ Review: Fighting Words," 13 Dec. 2018 Some states attach fines to small amounts of marijuana, while others attach brief jail time. — German Lopez, Vox, "13 states have decriminalized — but not legalized — marijuana," 14 Nov. 2018 For a brief time, the resonance of that message on Monday seemed to drown out even the constant banging and whirring of a factory that never seems to sleep. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "SpaceX reveals the controls of its Dragon spacecraft for the first time," 14 Aug. 2018 Despite the harsh sentences, most defendants remained stony- faced as they were shuffled out after their brief time in the stand. — Hamza Hendawi, Washington Post, "A neighbor’s word can bring death sentence in Iraq IS trials," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The government’s brief is not due until Jan. 22, but DOJ lawyers asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., to put the appeal on ice until the shutdown ends. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Why the government shutdown is good legal news for Trump," 27 Dec. 2018 Mayfield has his own signature line of underwear from PSD, and the boxer briefs come in two varieties: Browns or Sooners colors. — Tom Withers, The Seattle Times, "Mayfield ends impressive camp with Browns imitating GM," 21 Aug. 2018 That two goal advantage was brief, however, as the NWSL's leader in goals and assists quickly responded. — Special To The Oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Portland Thorns fall to Orlando Pride as winless streak extends to 5 games," 12 May 2018 Several third parties have filed briefs in the appeal. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Appeals Court to Consider AT&T’s Deal for Time Warner," 5 Dec. 2018 The state attorneys general and other entities suing the FCC have until November 16 to file reply briefs. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC tells court it has no “legal authority” to impose net neutrality rules," 12 Oct. 2018 Below is a brief, edited transcript of Nilay’s conversation with Sruthi on how Mount Pleasant moved people out of their homes to make way for Foxconn. — Gautam Srikishan, The Verge, "What Foxconn’s really doing in Wisconsin, with Reply All’s Sruthi Pinnamaneni," 11 Dec. 2018 In brief, all filmmakers and production companies can choose to voluntarily submit their movies to the MPAA’s ratings board, a group of people employed by the organization who are mostly anonymous. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Critics called Lars von Trier’s new movie “repulsive.” It’s being released twice.," 6 Dec. 2018 Internal joint cyber cd Intel piece for D, scenesetter for McDonough brief, Trainor [head of FBI cyber division] directed all cyber info be pulled. — Brooke Singman, Fox News, "FBI agent says bureau leaked stories, then used them to get FISA warrants," 28 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

According to The Times, details were confirmed by sources who were briefed on the discussions or memos written about the discussions by McCabe and others. — Brooke Singman, Fox News, "Goodlatte subpoenas McCabe memos, materials in response to Rosenstein 'wire' report," 28 Sep. 2018 But presumably she's been briefed on them—plus, Arya's not the type to run from a fight. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Is Arya's Reanimated Family What She's Running From In 'Game of Thrones'?," 19 Apr. 2019 From there, we were ushered into a clean room where we were briefed on some of the reports from the project’s vast files: sightings from across the country, just a handful of stories of lights in the skies. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "The History Channel’s scripted ‘Project Blue Book’ arrives later this year," 23 July 2018 In late November and December that figure had been estimated at between 400 and 600 square kilometers, according to officials briefed on the matter. — Matthew Lee, The Seattle Times, "US commander: IS hold in Syria, Iraq on verge of collapse," 5 Feb. 2019 Per the New York Times, pilots from United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines were briefed on the update in a meeting with Boeing over the weekend. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "FAA 'Tentatively' Approves Software Update For The Grounded Boeing 737 Max 8," 25 Mar. 2019 The source told Fox News that Collins, Murkowski and Flake huddled with Manchin on the sidelines Thursday evening to discuss the nomination, right before the GOP lawmakers were briefed by Mitchell. — Brooke Singman, Fox News, "Prosecutor tells wavering senators she wouldn't charge Kavanaugh, as vote looms," 28 Sep. 2018 But Euronews' partners NBC News have been briefed by US and Canadian law enforcement officials who say that mental illness is currently the leading theory based on their preliminary investigations. — Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Boy, 4, who apparently shot himself, in serious condition," 11 July 2018 Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners was briefed Tuesday on the final draft of the county’s historic transit development plan — and the amount of heavy rail recommended was more than double what was suggested in previous versions. — Tyler Estep, ajc, "Gwinnett’s transit plan now (sort of) includes rail to Gwinnett Place," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brief.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for brief

Adjective

Middle English bref, breve, from Anglo-French bref, brief, from Latin brevis; akin to Old High German murg short, Greek brachys

Noun

Middle English bref, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin brevis, from Late Latin, summary, from Latin brevis brief entry 1

Verb

verbal derivative of brief entry 2

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Dictionary Entries near brief

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Last Updated

7 May 2019

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Time Traveler for brief

The first known use of brief was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for brief

brief

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of brief

(Entry 1 of 3)

: lasting only a short period of time

: using only a few words

of clothing : covering less of the body than is usual

brief

noun

English Language Learners Definition of brief (Entry 2 of 3)

: a brief statement or report

US, law : a document that states the facts a lawyer plans to use in a court case

chiefly British : instructions that explain what a person is supposed to do

brief

verb

English Language Learners Definition of brief (Entry 3 of 3)

: to give information or instructions to (someone)

See the full definition for brief in the English Language Learners Dictionary

brief

adjective

\ ˈbrēf

briefer; briefest

Kids Definition of brief

(Entry 1 of 2)

: not very long : short a brief explanation

brief

verb

briefed; briefing

Kids Definition of brief (Entry 2 of 2)

: to give information or instructions to The captain briefed the crew on the plan.

brief

noun

Legal Definition of brief

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a concise statement of a client's case written for the instruction of an attorney usually by a law clerk

— called also memorandum

2 : a formal written presentation of an argument that sets forth the main points with supporting precedents and evidence

Note: Briefs are filed either by a party or an amicus curiae with a court usually regarding a specific motion (as for summary judgment) or point of law.