briefly

[breef-lee]

adverb

1. for a short duration.

   He stopped over briefly in Chicago.

2. in a few words.

   Let me explain briefly.

3. in a brief manner; quickly or brusquely.

   She nodded briefly and began to speak.

Word History and Origins

Origin of briefly¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; brief, -ly

Example Sentences

It recently reported a surge in demand among AI companies for its data centres, which helped push its stock dramatically higher and briefly made its co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison the world's richest person.

From BBC

The full-back hit her stride with two superb tries at Ashton Gate, having only flickered briefly in her two previous outings at this World Cup.

From BBC

It’s also odd that the activist-minded Greengrass didn’t do more with so corporate a villain: legally responsible utility PG&E, represented in the movie by an ineffectual suit who is briefly yelled at.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, it’s a bit much when their car briefly runs off the road and she walks away from the crash with immaculate locks.

From Los Angeles Times

Lancashire Police said Platt was spoken to at the scene of the crash and told officers he had only touched his phone briefly to check his journey time.

From BBC

Related Words

• momentarily 
• quickly 
• temporarily 

When To Use

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.