briefly
Americanadverb
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for a short duration.
He stopped over briefly in Chicago.
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in a few words.
Let me explain briefly.
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in a brief manner; quickly or brusquely.
She nodded briefly and began to speak.
Usage
What does briefly mean? Briefly means for a short amount of time. It can also mean concisely or in a few words, as opposed to in a longer manner, as in State your main argument briefly in a sentence or two. Briefly is the adverb form of the adjective brief, which most commonly means lasting a short time or concise. Because it’s an adverb, briefly is used to describe verbs (actions), as in I briefly considered it, or adjectives, as in The conversation was briefly tense, but then everyone started to get along. Example: It rained briefly, probably only for a few minutes.
Etymology
Origin of briefly
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at brief, -ly
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.
NIO stock soared as investors looked for the next Tesla, briefly making the Chinese company the world’s fourth most valuable automaker, ahead of GM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Amid the interruptions, the chair briefly suspended the session and instructed both countries' representatives to return to their places.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
In August, agents seized his electronic devices and raided Swalwell’s Washington home over the weekend, even briefly holding the former lawmaker at San Francisco International Airport, a person familiar with the inquiry told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The first pulses briefly heat a localized area of the magnetic material, causing a small region to reverse its magnetic orientation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
In Dr. Mike Burry’s first year in business, he grappled briefly with the social dimension of running money.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
