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briefly
[ breef-lee ]
adverb
- for a short duration:
He stopped over briefly in Chicago.
- in a few words:
Let me explain briefly.
- in a brief manner; quickly or brusquely:
She nodded briefly and began to speak.
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Word History and Origins
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Example Sentences
He explained the various vaccine providers in Illinois, and what strategies worked for each — such as the Twitter accounts and aggregator sites that had briefly flourished and then been shut down for security violations.
Temperatures between 32 and 34 degrees mean little accumulation is occurring on road surfaces although they may briefly get slick during any moderate bursts as visibility drops.
While we briefly discussed our preference for inkjet printers for photos, you can go further by finding a printer that is specifically designed to deliver beautiful, high-quality images.
Along the way, I was the chef for the bar and the lounge, and then worked at the Joël Robuchon restaurant briefly.
The Know-Nothings formed a political movement that briefly became a major political party in the United States in the mid-1800s.
Lee and Coogan did briefly meet with the pope, with pictures to prove it, but no one at the Vatican officially screened the film.
After the screening, Jolie, who says she renewed her faith in “the divine” during filming, met briefly with the pope.
Scalise spoke briefly, adding little of substance, saying that the people back home know him best.
Other footage shows him fleeing, keeping to a quick walk, jogging briefly, then walking again as he heads for a subway station.
He was courteous, explained the legitimate reason we were briefly pulled over, and then let us continue on our way.
To this the fat boy, considerably terrified, briefly responded, “Missis.”
There are many excellent makers, but we must content ourselves with briefly noticing the most prominent.
Garnache assured him very briefly, and none too politely that he did not intend to prove of any excessive amiability.
As that religion seems to be still very popular I will try to express it as briefly as I can.
Briefly—Joan's silk tent had been torn, and the girl was in a state bordering upon hysterics.
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Related Words
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More About Briefly
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.
Where does briefly come from?
The first records of the word briefly come from the 1200s. Its base word, brief, ultimately comes from the Latin brevis, meaning “short.” The suffix -ly is used to form adverbs.
Briefly is most commonly used to describe actions that happen only for a short time, often because there isn’t a lot of time in which to do them, as in I only have a few minutes before I have to leave, so I can only briefly discuss our plans for tonight. When you do something briefly, you do it for a short amount of time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you do it quickly. However, a less common sense of the word briefly does mean “in a quick, abrupt, or brusque manner.” This sense of the word can imply a certain rudeness that’s not implied when briefly means “for a short time” or “concise.” For example, if you say that a person dealt with you briefly, it may mean that you think they should have taken a bit more time rather than brushing you off so quickly.
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What are some other forms related to briefly?
- brief (adjective)
What are some synonyms for briefly?
What are some words that share a root or word element with briefly?
What are some words that often get used in discussing briefly?
How is briefly used in real life?
Briefly is a very common word and perhaps the briefest way to say “in a short amount of time.”
Stockholm, thank you for having us so briefly.
— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) December 5, 2014
it's kinda lame when someone you met briefly and never worked with comments on you. I will continue to wish them luck and be kind.
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 9, 2011
People say Sokka is overconfident but I would also be pretty confident if I briefly dated the moon…
— Netflix (@netflix) May 19, 2020
Try using briefly!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of briefly?
A. abruptly
B. brusquely
C. concisely
D. protractedly
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