1
a
: in a brief way
briefly mentioned
b
: in brief
the food, briefly, was awful
2
: for a short time
briefly married
Examples of briefly in a Sentence
Several important issues are only briefly mentioned.
Please briefly describe your experience.
We briefly considered canceling the trip.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Tyranny Of Closeness Letting go of your interpretation—even briefly—can feel like betrayal.
—
Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Last month’s Israel-Iran conflict interrupted the trend of cheaper gas prices – but only briefly.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
The couple split briefly in 2017 after dating for about a year.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 30 June 2025
The four men who first joined forces in 1968 as the Polka Tulk Blues Band before briefly trying on Earth to record a number of demos in 1969 that were never released.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for briefly
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Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Last month’s Israel-Iran conflict interrupted the trend of cheaper gas prices – but only briefly.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
The couple split briefly in 2017 after dating for about a year.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 30 June 2025
The four men who first joined forces in 1968 as the Polka Tulk Blues Band before briefly trying on Earth to record a number of demos in 1969 that were never released.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for briefly
Cite this Entry
“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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