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
Bumila quickly found himself in foul trouble, and was forced to take a seat briefly.
—
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Growth continued largely unabated, briefly slowing during the COVID-19 pandemic before accelerating again.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
This comes as Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, briefly surpassed $106 a barrel on Sunday, reaching its highest level since 2022.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Some were more open to trying it briefly, while others refused to prescribe it.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for briefly
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Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Growth continued largely unabated, briefly slowing during the COVID-19 pandemic before accelerating again.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
This comes as Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, briefly surpassed $106 a barrel on Sunday, reaching its highest level since 2022.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Some were more open to trying it briefly, while others refused to prescribe it.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for briefly
Cite this Entry
“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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