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.
Briefly, Bailey Zappe, one of his backups, stirred up optimism before fizzling out.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Briefly put: the shortest route for a Russian ballistic missile to reach continental US is Greenland and the North Pole.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
Briefly pulled from the Sundance lineup over a dispute between director Kahlil Joseph and the project’s financier, the boldly transportive “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” was reinstated when a new backer stepped in.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025
Briefly called to the stand to explain the comment on Wednesday, Trump said he was referring to witness Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer.
From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2023
Briefly, I considered fleeing, but that was pointless.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
