adverb
-
in a short time; soon
-
in a few words; briefly
-
in a curt or rude manner
Etymology
Origin of shortly
First recorded before 900; Middle English schortly, Old English scortlīce; see short, -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.
"It was extremely complex and we had 40,000 feet of dialogue footage of pilots saying this and that," he told Rolling Stone shortly after the film's release.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
But these projects depend on the New Glenn rocket, and with its explosion coming shortly after a malfunction causing a satellite mission failure last month, the anomalies could disrupt NASA's tight mission schedule.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
A more effective expression of the idea is found in Bloom’s “Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles,” published shortly after his death.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The curveball was that the adviser said he was taking a break from golf, but was seen on the course shortly after.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
One day, shortly before Christmas in 1949, Karl and his mother attended an organ concert.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
