briefly

adverb

brief·​ly ˈbrē-flē How to pronounce briefly (audio)
Synonyms of brieflynext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Schottenheimer also benched him briefly early in the season after an unspecified disciplinary issue. CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025 Love jogged off the field to boos from the Soldier Field crowd and was briefly examined in the sideline medical tent before walking to the locker room with a member of the medical staff. Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025 Robbins was a graduate assistant at Minnesota in 2020-21 before coaching stints at South Dakota (2022), Kent State (2023-24) and briefly at Central Michigan (2025). Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025 Annuals, on the other hand, can be beautiful … briefly. Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for briefly

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of briefly was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on briefly

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!