shortly

adverb

short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē 

1

a

: in a few words : briefly

b

: in an abrupt manner

2

a

: in a short time

we will be there shortly

b

: at a short interval

shortly after sunset

Synonyms of shortly

• briefly
• concisely
• in brief
• precisely

Examples of shortly in a Sentence

He left shortly after you did.

“I can't help you right now,” he said shortly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Todd rounded the corner of a building shortly afterward and ordered Hasan to surrender. — Meagan Harris, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

In a family of nine brothers and sisters, one after another of the siblings began exhibiting dramatic personality changes shortly before or after reaching the age of 40. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026

Meta Platforms is up nearly 3% (more on the company shortly), while Salesforce and Microsoft are up 2% and 1%, respectively. — Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026

This is despite major antigovernment protests throughout the country shortly before the campaign began, which were stamped out only after mass state violence. — Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing shortly

• shortly after

Rhymes for shortly

• courtly
• portly

Kids Definition

shortly

adverb

short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē 

1

: in a few words : briefly

2

: in or within a short time : soon

will arrive shortly

shortly after sunset