briefly

adverb

brief·​ly ˈbrē-flē 

1

a

: in a brief way

briefly mentioned

b

: in brief

the food, briefly, was awful

2

: for a short time

briefly married

Synonyms of briefly

• concisely
• shortly

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

Fawaz briefly brought me up to date on Singer’s story, which stretches back to 2008 when founder Rob Dickinson started working on his own 1969 Porsche 911E in Los Angeles. — Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Some landed on nearby plants, while others rested on guests’ clothing or settled briefly on the ground. — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

In almost two years as an active player at Chelsea, Mudryk struggled for consistency, working first under Graham Potter, then Mauricio Pochettino, then finally and briefly under Maresca. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Chicken thighs seasoned with a bright lemon-herb rub roast briefly before apple wedges, slices of delicata squash (no peeling required), and fennel seeds go into the pan. — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for briefly

• chiefly