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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flash
lasting only for a short time
a brief flash of light
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
His nine snaps against the Patriots were the most in his brief career.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Former Fed governor Dan Tarullo is also listed as a signatory to the brief, as well as the economists Ken Rogoff, Phil Gramm and John Cochrane.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Hamas did not immediately respond to comments from the president or the prime minister, but an official familiar with the negotiations said mediators had not yet fully briefed the group on the latest peace plan.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brief
Adjective
Only when her jam session turns into a brief karaoke moment, Bader’s Poppy is surprised to find Blyth’s Alex standing there watching her.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
His nine snaps against the Patriots were the most in his brief career.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
Damaging the Fed’s credibility could interfere with one of the institution’s core missions of keeping inflation in check, the brief said.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Former Fed governor Dan Tarullo is also listed as a signatory to the brief, as well as the economists Ken Rogoff, Phil Gramm and John Cochrane.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
The Union-Tribune reached out to all five members of the Board of Supervisors, who in closed session briefings with county attorneys are briefed on litigation and sign off on lawsuit settlements.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Hamas did not immediately respond to comments from the president or the prime minister, but an official familiar with the negotiations said mediators had not yet fully briefed the group on the latest peace plan.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brief
Adjective
-
Springsteen obliged, with a statement that was at once concise and powerful.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Bednar’s response was concise, but hard to argue with.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While the average cruise length is around seven days, short sailings can pack an entire vacation’s worth of fun into a mid-week getaway or long weekend.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Ross is also taller, giving officers more viewing coverage above crowds than Walking Horses, which can be as short as 14 hands, or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
What To Know A map shared by the NWS on Facebook showed a broad corridor of flash-flood risk spanning the Western states and Southern Plains.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The emerging miners, exposed directly to the flash during its first split second, were covered in flash-absorbing black.—
Charles Pellegrino,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
-
For example, Scale has helped organizations develop AI systems to process insurance claims and to give doctors a summary of patients’ medical histories ahead of visits.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
China's Tianwen 3 mission aims to launch in late 2028 and return Mars material to Earth in 2031.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This marked the fourth time Canada had taken part in the mission in the last 12 months.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The only way attorneys knew their client was detained at the site was because a family member informed them following a phone call from one of the phones located inside cells at the facility.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
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And then another thing to keep in mind is the importance of being informed, knowing what’s going on in the world.—
María Mérida,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To summarize the last few days, he was waived at the end of the Braves' season, passed through waivers, outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, and opted to leave the organization.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
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The following table summarizes details about ashwagandha and L-theanine.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Shane Hubbard, a UW-Madison research scientist specializing in damage and loss estimation from disasters, said that misunderstandings of what type of insurance offers the most protection result in homeowners being left with hefty bills and little government assistance.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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The clues have been there from the start, the little touches that aligned Grasso’s bifurcated personality with Tom and Robbie’s.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brief. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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