briefly

adverb

brief·​ly ˈbrē-flē How to pronounce briefly (audio)
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.
Fort Bragg, for example, which has been in operation since 1918, was briefly renamed Fort Liberty during the Biden administration. Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 22 June 2025 On June 19, federal immigration agents were briefly blocked at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles by protesters trying to stop detentions. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 22 June 2025 Then, Thursday’s match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, between Palmeiras and Al Ahly was also suspended briefly as flash storms rolled through the region amid scorching heat that left fans scrambling for shade and water. Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 22 June 2025 Murphy’s hero, however, will briefly show up in the second film, 28 Years Later…: The Bone Temple, which director Nia Da Costa (Candyman) has already shot and will be released next January. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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