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.
The index, which trades under the ticker symbol “SOX,” saw choppy trading action in Friday’s session, falling as much as 5.7% before briefly swinging into positive territory.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
On Wednesday, Williamson was seen briefly on screen with dark hair and glasses as she listened to the hearing from HMP Downview prison in Surrey, England, alongside a mental health support worker.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
South Korea’s Kospi surged over 5.0%, prompting the Korean exchange to briefly suspend trade of the index’s stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
But the assertion of tolls, however briefly advocated, is more telling.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
They flared up briefly, caught the paper, and burned it to ashes before Nhamo even got close.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
