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

All but two people in the group of fifteen — one client and one guide who had momentarily fallen behind the group because of an equipment issue — were buried by the wall of snow that came off the mountain. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026

All but two people in the group of 15 — one client and one guide who had momentarily fallen behind the group because of an equipment issue — were buried by the wall of snow that came off the mountain. — Tribune News Service, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

The topic momentarily drifts to Chuck D, who Hanna greatly admires. — Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026

Chandler himself may have momentarily wondered whether he was being offered another Mayor of Kingstown-type opportunity. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 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