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.
In July, Venezuelan security forces briefly detained several economists, including former finance minister Rodrigo Cabezas, for sharing pessimistic views. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025 Notably, some materials continued to glow briefly even after the UV source was removed. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025 Forecasters warn that snow squalls may briefly reduce visibility and create hazardous road conditions, especially during the evening commute. Sirena Bergman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025 Dart appeared to go limp briefly and then was slow to get up. Dan Duggan, New York Times, 10 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2025.

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