briefly

[breef-lee]

adverb

1. for a short duration.

   He stopped over briefly in Chicago.

2. in a few words.

   Let me explain briefly.

3. in a brief manner; quickly or brusquely.

   She nodded briefly and began to speak.

Word History and Origins

Origin of briefly¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; brief, -ly

Example Sentences

She told the Los Angeles Times they had briefly been homeless, and she sometimes did her “homework on the dashboard of a car.”

From Salon

Meanwhile, Humble Bundle, another digital storefront, briefly told visitors in a note on its site on Thursday the game was no longer available during the high demand - which has since been resolved.

From BBC

It burned through around a quarter of an acre of vegetation as it moved uphill, briefly threatening nearby homes.

From Los Angeles Times

The Briton had been poised for second place behind Piastri, who had controlled the race consummately from pole position throughout a series of incidents, including briefly threatening rain.

From BBC

The Fever surged in the third quarter, briefly taking command, before the Sparks fought back to close the period ahead 58-57.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• momentarily 
• quickly 
• temporarily 

When To Use

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.