1
as in briefly
in a few words
the sudden closing of the restaurant was announced only with a shortly worded sign: "Out of Business"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soon
at or within a short time
the meeting will begin shortly, so don't go too far away to find a bathroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortly
In May 1940, German forces invaded and then occupied the Netherlands, with Belgium and France following shortly thereafter.
—
Time, 30 Sep. 2025
At the time, the artist paused the song mid-lyrics to talk to her keyboardist, but collapsed shortly thereafter.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
But Eze joined Arsenal shortly before the transfer window closed this summer, and Wilfried Zaha is no longer at the club, so there are fewer shackles for him.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
He was taken to a local hospital shortly afterward.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Time, 30 Sep. 2025
At the time, the artist paused the song mid-lyrics to talk to her keyboardist, but collapsed shortly thereafter.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
But Eze joined Arsenal shortly before the transfer window closed this summer, and Wilfried Zaha is no longer at the club, so there are fewer shackles for him.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
He was taken to a local hospital shortly afterward.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly
Adverb
-
On Friday, Munich airport briefly closed after drone sightings brought flights to a halt, news agency Reuters reported.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Moulton, after all, briefly sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Democrats are dug in on extending Obamacare subsidies expiring soon, citing Americans' rising health care costs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
With no agreement in place, the government will soon begin the arduous process of winding down operations, sending furlough notices, and notifying contractors.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Practice answering concisely and confidently in your own voice.—
Kathy Caprino,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The extent to which the entire AI boom is backstopped by Nvidia’s cash isn’t easy to answer precisely, which is also one of the unsettling things about it.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Like any good oracle, Le Bon knows precisely what the future holds.—
Rumaan Alam,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortly. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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