- present participle of brief.
briefing
Americannoun
-
briefings
plural
-
Military. a short, factual oral summary of the details of a current or projected military operation given to the participants or observers.
-
any set of concise instructions or a summary of events.
noun
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a meeting at which detailed information or instructions are given, as for military operations, etc
-
the facts presented during such a meeting
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of briefing
Explanation
If you plan on going to the briefing at the White House, you'd better bring your audio recorder. These informational sessions can get very detailed, and you'll need to review the audio record. When a lawyer appears before a court, they bring with them a "brief," a detailed explanation of their case that's anything but brief. This brief is a sort of briefing for the judge on the details of the case. Whenever you give someone a detailed explanation or set of instructions about something, it's a briefing. Briefing is the noun form of the word brief. The White House press corps meets in the "briefing room" to get briefed on the news of the president's day.
Vocabulary lists containing briefing
State of the Union Address 2016
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This Week In Words: November 28–December 4, 2020
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"The Evolution of a Great Idea"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“A few things came together all at once,” the port’s executive director, Gene Seroka, said in a recent media briefing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Our primary concern is still the heavy rains and the flooding that can occur,” she said during a briefing Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
As Swinney backed his cabinet secretary on Friday, Flynn insisted that media reports that he had received a briefing before his committee appearance were false.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
In a press briefing earlier Tuesday, a WHO spokesman said the risk from the incident appeared to be "moderate to low".
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
But there would be little time for retrospection over the next few weeks, for the briefing schedule for the three delegates was punishing.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Scientists privately discuss differences in interpretations, agreeing on regular updates for the public via media briefings and social media postings.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
There’s press conferences, there’s briefings, and the public is informed about what could possibly happen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Videos of his inspections and press briefings circulate widely on social media, where reels and podcasts have turned him into an unlikely celebrity.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Before going on liberty during a port call, sailors receive extensive safety briefings, including how to avoid getting drawn in by foreign intelligence services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
After all, these press briefings had been his idea in the first place.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
