1
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
a brief but crucial admonition to keep quiet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in short
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately, the meeting was brief
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flash
lasting only for a short time
a brief flash of light
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in summary
a short statement of the main points
a one-page brief of the intelligence report
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mission
a specific task with which a person or group is charged
the soldiers' brief was to secure the village from enemy attacks
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1
as in to inform
to give information to
the lieutenant briefed his superior officers on the state of the enemy's fortifications
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to summarize
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)
his duties include briefing intelligence reports for the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brief
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
The senator also challenged how deeply UConn examined Agwunobi’s record running other hospitals in Georgia, Florida, California and Washington state, as well as his brief tenure on the board of WellCare, a Florida company at the center of a massive Medicaid scandal nearly 20 years ago.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
Emily Brindley, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
By comparison, overall global manufacturing employment over that period has increased by about 71 million workers, with most of that growth in China, India and Vietnam, according to a 2025 research brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The full City Council will be briefed March 4.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brief
Adjective
The crooks dragged the victim out of his Toyota 4Runner and after a brief tussle jumped into his vehicle and sped off.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
The senator also challenged how deeply UConn examined Agwunobi’s record running other hospitals in Georgia, Florida, California and Washington state, as well as his brief tenure on the board of WellCare, a Florida company at the center of a massive Medicaid scandal nearly 20 years ago.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
Nationwide, according to a federal brief, hospitals’ use of AI tools is growing rapidly.
—Emily Brindley, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
By comparison, overall global manufacturing employment over that period has increased by about 71 million workers, with most of that growth in China, India and Vietnam, according to a 2025 research brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Chris Bonelli, a spokesperson for Waymo — which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet — said the company had briefed the mayor’s office in Chicago on its plans to start mapping in the city.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The full City Council will be briefed March 4.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brief
Adjective
-
Clear, commanding and concise instructions.—
Andy McGrath,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Get concise answers to your questions.—
Phil Davison,
Washington Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, a shorter conflict in which disruptions are easily reversible could mean the current price spike won't last.—
DAVID McHUGH,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Regime change on the cheap—by covert action, military coup, airpower, or short ground war—has tempted almost every American president since World War II.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Tom Lee of Fundstrat has been frequently citing the invention of flash-frozen food in the early 1900s as fundamentally disrupting the farming sector, which took farming as a share of jobs from 30% to 40% down to just 2% to 5%, but the economy reallocated value elsewhere.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Broccoli and Cauliflower Hearty bite-sized florets of broccoli and cauliflower are typically flash-frozen soon after harvest and maintain their crisp-tender texture when cooked from frozen.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The caliphate ruled Manbij for two brutal years—years of summary executions and punitive amputations.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The story summaries above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Brende is the second chief of the World Economic Forum run out by scandal, a bad look for a forum whose core mission is promoting global stability.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Officials did not disclose the specific unit involved or the mission profile at the time of the crash.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The futurist, cultural historian and Holocaust survivor who has degrees in sociology and law from UCLA said she was informed of the honor last year by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and recently was honored by the Austrian government with its Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Much of January’s discussion was framed around how the Feeding Our Future scandal informed the new fraud allegations.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In an interview with a local reporter, Emerald once summarized the philosophy behind the blockade with perfect succinctness.—
Robert Moor,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Here’s the five-day forecast for Broward and Palm Beach counties, summarized by AI based on information from the National Weather Service.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
After that 12-day war in June, Tehran was left with little negotiating leverage, its nuclear facilities heavily damaged, its proxies nearly neutralized and its economy in tatters.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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Leading by five goals in Honduras after 45 minutes allowed for a full-strength performance over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and little concern in the second leg against Real España, rotating numerous players ahead of the spring trip to Texas.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brief. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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