momentarily

adverb

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

1

: for a moment

The rain stopped momentarily.

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment : in a moment

The show will start momentarily.

Synonyms of momentarily

• 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

Below, explore 11 cities reclaimed by nature and the eerie beauty left behind when the earth reclaims what was only momentarily ours. — Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026

That Bournemouth are winless after four games of their Premier League season, with three points from the 12 available, is momentarily lost in a moment of mutual endearment — the city and the Brazilian striker have embraced each other. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

But about five minutes later, a sharp cracking sound momentarily replaced the shrill squeal of sirens, and the top half of the South Tower imploded, bringing the entire thing down. — Timothy Townsend, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Munetaka Murakami momentarily had a share of the team lead in home runs, hitting his 30th in the first inning Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026

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