briefly

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   For only a short period of time.

   Grammar: Usually goes before the verb or after the object: she briefly smiled.

   Patterns

   • briefly pause
   • briefly visit somewhere

   The sun shone briefly before the clouds returned.

   He briefly considered quitting his job.

   She was briefly married to a French pilot.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   In just a few words, without much detail.

   Grammar: Often placed with verbs of speaking or writing: explain briefly.

   Patterns

   • describe something briefly
   • say something briefly

   Briefly, the plan failed because there was not enough money.

   The guide briefly explained the rules of the game.

   Let me briefly outline what we will cover today.

Common combinations

briefly mention

I briefly mentioned the idea to my manager.

briefly describe

Please briefly describe your experience.

briefly outline

The report briefly outlines three possible solutions.

pause briefly

He paused briefly at the door before going in.

to put it briefly

To put it briefly, we are out of time.

meet briefly

We met briefly at the airport.

Synonyms and how they differ

concisely

Concisely says a lot in few words and praises the quality of the wording, while briefly just says it is short and may leave out detail.

momentarily

Momentarily stresses a very short moment in time, shorter than most uses of briefly, and in American English can also mean in a moment.

shortly

Shortly often means soon, as in I will be there shortly, whereas briefly describes how long something lasts.

succinctly

Succinctly is a formal word for expressing something in a tight, clear way, while briefly is plainer and covers time too.

Opposites

Word family

brief adjective

lasting a short time or using few words

brief verb

to give someone the key facts they need before an event

briefing noun

a short meeting to give information

brevity noun

shortness in time or in words

briefness noun

the state of being short

Commonly confused: briefly or shortly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “briefly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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