briefly

adverb

brief·​ly ˈbrē-flē How to pronounce briefly (audio)
1
a
: in a brief way
briefly mentioned
b
: in brief
the food, briefly, was awful
2
: for a short time
briefly married

Examples of briefly in a Sentence

Several important issues are only briefly mentioned. Please briefly describe your experience. We briefly considered canceling the trip.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dr Christina Dean, the founder of Redress, an NGO focused on implementing circular fashion, has seen the issue of fashion waste, which is only touched on briefly in The True Cost, come to the foreground as a growing problem in recent years. Olivia Pinnock, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025 Both markets exploded briefly during the pandemic, with home prices surging way beyond what locals could afford. Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025 Coincidentally, it was briefly rumored that Kotb intended to replace Clarkson on her talk show after her Today exit. Rachel McRady, People.com, 14 July 2025 During this occultation of Saturn, the light reflecting off the gas giant became briefly blocked by the moon. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for briefly

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of briefly was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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