brief
Audio Help [breef] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb
—Related forms
Audio Help [breef] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb –adjective
–noun
–verb (used with object)
—Idioms
| 1. | lasting or taking a short time; of short duration: a brief walk; a brief stay in the country. |
| 2. | using few words; concise; succinct: a brief report on weather conditions. |
| 3. | abrupt or curt. |
| 4. | scanty: a brief bathing suit. |
| 5. | a short and concise statement or written item. |
| 6. | an outline, the form of which is determined by set rules, of all the possible arguments and information on one side of a controversy: a debater's brief. |
| 7. | Law.
|
| 8. | an outline, summary, or synopsis, as of a book. |
| 9. | briefs, (used with a plural verb ) close-fitting, legless underpants with an elastic waistband. |
| 10. | briefing. |
| 11. | Roman Catholic Church. a papal letter less formal than a bull, sealed with the pope's signet ring or stamped with the device borne on this ring. |
| 12. | British Theater. a free ticket; pass. |
| 13. | Obsolete. a letter. |
| 14. | to make an abstract or summary of. |
| 15. | to instruct by a brief or briefing: They brief all the agents before assigning them. |
| 16. | Law. to retain as advocate in a suit. |
| 17. | hold a brief for, to support or defend by argument; endorse. |
| 18. | in brief, in a few words; in short: The supervisor outlined in brief the duties of the new assistant. |
—Related forms
briefer, noun
briefness, noun
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
briefs
To learn more about briefs visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| brief
Audio Help (brēf) Pronunciation Key
adj. brief·er, brief·est
n.
tr.v. briefed, brief·ing, briefs
[Middle English bref, from Old French, from Latin brevis. N., Middle English bref, written communication, from Old French, from Medieval Latin breve, from Latin, neuter of brevis, short; see mregh-u- in Indo-European roots.] brief'er n., brief'ly adv., brief'ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| briefs | |
noun | |
| short tight-fitting underpants (trade name Jockey shorts) |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
briefs noun plural
(used especially in shops) women's pants or men's underpants
Example: a pair of briefs
See also: brevity, brief, briefcase, briefing, briefly, in briefExample: a pair of briefs
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
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