shortly

adverb

short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē How to pronounce shortly (audio)
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

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 Police said officers responded to the intersection of Oaklyn Drive and Beman Woods Way in Potomac shortly before midnight Tuesday for a single-vehicle crash. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 The flight departed from Cap-Haitien – a city on Haiti’s north coast that’s more than 120 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince – and arrived in Florida shortly before 7 p.m., according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Jennifer Hansler, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 The plans didn’t come without a common childhood hiccup, as the Daily Mail reported that Gus broke his arm shortly before the big day. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 Darden had become the recipient of the partner's estate shortly before her death, the affidavit said. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 Business Column: Scientists are paying a huge personal price in the lonely fight against anti-vaxxers Oct. 20, 2023 More on that shortly. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The fatal crash had closed the westbound lanes of the highway for several hours until shortly before 7 a.m., according to Enquirer media partner Fox19. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. along northbound lanes of the freeway near Gopher Canyon Road, the logs indicate. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 The crash was cleared shortly before noon, according to an X post from ADOT. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shortly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shortly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shortly

Cite this Entry

“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortly. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shortly

adverb
short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē How to pronounce shortly (audio)
1
: in a few words : briefly
2
: in or within a short time : soon
will arrive shortly
shortly after sunset

More from Merriam-Webster on shortly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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