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

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is back in the spotlight — at least momentarily. — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Crucially, Bush struggled to coordinate with senior officials in Washington, leaving him momentarily out of the loop at a terrifying historical juncture. — Peter Kastor, Fortune, 27 July 2026

Chase Meidroth stepped on the bag and threw to first for what was momentarily ruled a double play in the top of the sixth inning of Friday’s game against the Houston Astros. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

Here on five minutes, for example, Spain lose possession, and their deepest defenders are momentarily caught up the pitch. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 20 July 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