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

After coming out of the game briefly three times in the first half, which ended with Boise State trailing 50-29, Meadow played all 20 minutes of the second half and the entirety of the three five-minute OT periods. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026

After more confrontations, she was briefly detained by police. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026

Michael briefly followed in his adoptive parents' footsteps, embarking on a career in entertainment in the 1980s that ranged from a stint on the CBS political soap opera Capitol, to a part as a concierge in the primetime soap Falcon Crest, which starred Wyman. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026

Aldermen briefly criticized Johnson’s plans to issue debt to pay for legal settlements and back pay for Chicago firefighters, but ended up allowing it. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for briefly

• chiefly