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

Later he tried to build civil society in war-torn Iraq and Libya and was briefly kidnapped by Tuareg militiamen.

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He also played other sports: soccer, tennis, even gymnastics briefly.

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A creditor, for example, might let you briefly pause your payments without harming your credit score.

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Bessent’s remarks briefly stabilized the currency, but the peso began to again slide after negotiations between the U.S. and Argentina appeared to drag on.

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The three of them consulted briefly together before Rubio tore off a sheet of paper.

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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.