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

Manuelian contends Fathizadeh had momentarily gone to the kitchen to turn off a stove and stir oatmeal, and did not realize two of the children had gone to the pool area, where the pool gate was usually locked. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026

As Dane then recalls times spent at the beach in Santa Monica, Hawaii and Mexico with his wife and girls, the Euphoria actor becomes momentarily choked up. —Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026

With the puck in the offensive zone, a Canadian player was knocked into Finnish goalie Juuse Saros, momentarily pushing him out of position. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026

To ensure the opening scene felt immersive rather than voyeuristic, Ray momentarily stepped back into his DJ bag. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 10 Feb. 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