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

The three-part harmonies Banks crafted for voice, clarinet and soprano sax, while only briefly featured, were stunning. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

He was briefly traded to Cleveland that April before being sent back to the Blue Jays two months later. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

The space station has had a leak on the Russian side for several years, and astronauts recently and briefly sheltered in a Crew Dragon during discussions of a fix. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2026

The time needed to care for Randall spurred Bullock to briefly retire from acting in 2022. — Alessandra De Tommasi, Vanity Fair, 22 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for briefly

• chiefly