1
a
: in a brief way
briefly mentioned
b
: in brief
the food, briefly, was awful
2
: for a short time
briefly married
Synonyms
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
One egg broke and the other two were briefly left unincubated as the bald eagle parents had to chase away young eagles encroaching on the nest, officials said.
—
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Filming on the sequel was briefly suspended during the 2023 actors strike, with production resuming in November after SAG-AFTRA reached a deal for a new contract.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into whether investors were misled during the chaotic period when Altman briefly left the company.
—Elizabeth Dwoskin, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Scientists are eager to study why animals behave unusually during the brief moments of eclipses, and the public is invited to participate in some of the research taking place Monday.
And expect the local temperature to drop briefly during those few moments of totality.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Morrison compromised and was allowed to have artist Dave McKean briefly depict Joker in high heels, but that was it.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The company briefly suspended work at some construction sites and paused some operations.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
After the earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan’s Hualien County Wednesday morning, TSMC briefly evacuated some of its workers from its factory in Hsinchu, more than 100 miles from the epicenter.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Richards, who briefly returned to the show this past season, was seen in disagreements with Girardi throughout her few cameos.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Filming on the sequel was briefly suspended during the 2023 actors strike, with production resuming in November after SAG-AFTRA reached a deal for a new contract.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into whether investors were misled during the chaotic period when Altman briefly left the company.
—Elizabeth Dwoskin, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Scientists are eager to study why animals behave unusually during the brief moments of eclipses, and the public is invited to participate in some of the research taking place Monday.
And expect the local temperature to drop briefly during those few moments of totality.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Morrison compromised and was allowed to have artist Dave McKean briefly depict Joker in high heels, but that was it.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The company briefly suspended work at some construction sites and paused some operations.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
After the earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan’s Hualien County Wednesday morning, TSMC briefly evacuated some of its workers from its factory in Hsinchu, more than 100 miles from the epicenter.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Richards, who briefly returned to the show this past season, was seen in disagreements with Girardi throughout her few cameos.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'briefly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Dictionary Entries Near briefly
Cite this Entry
“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on briefly
Nglish: Translation of briefly for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of briefly for Arabic Speakers
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