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

Multiple Democrats have come out in favor of ousting her, including two who called on her to resign shortly after the Ethics panel came back with its finding of her culpability. —Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026

Prince was found unresponsive the morning of April 21, 2016, and was pronounced dead by medical personnel shortly after. —Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026

With eight minutes left in the contest, Kempe bonked Cale Makar in the back of the head, then went to the box for mixing it up with captain Gabe Landeskog, who came to Makar’s defense, shortly thereafter. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026

Anouk Denton The versatile 22-year-old defender came on as a late substitute in England’s 2-0 win over Ghana in December, shortly before moving from West Ham United to Bay FC. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 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