momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ly ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē 

1

: for a moment

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment : in a moment

Synonyms

• shortly
• soon

Examples of momentarily in a Sentence

The wind let up momentarily, allowing us to start a campfire.

He paused momentarily before finishing his speech.

We expect them to arrive momentarily.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some believe that Freeze may have saved his job momentarily by winning in Week 9 against Arkansas. —Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Marie helps clinch this fight against Godolkin, only after momentarily waffling on the ethics of how to use her powers. —Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025

Deal volumes and values have now caught up to the cheery vibes that some advisors were feeling earlier this year, before Liberation Day momentarily derailed them. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Quarterback Husan Longstreet even jumped in for a play with two minutes remaining in the second quarter, momentarily replacing starting quarterback Jayden Maiava. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for momentarily

• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• necessarily
• ordinarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily

Kids Definition

momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tari·​ly

ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē

1

: for a moment

the pain eased momentarily

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment

we expect them momentarily