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
Church bells ring briefly each quarter hour to sound time, their melodic peals blending with ocean breezes.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
This is To Lam’s second time holding both jobs, after briefly doing so in 2024 when his predecessor as party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, died.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
About 10 minutes through the frame, the Avs briefly took the lead when Ross Colton batted a rebound out of the air and into the net off a deflection from the weak side.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
The camera briefly returned to the actual game — the Giants’ Landen Roupp threw a pitch to Jorge Polanco, who fouled the ball off his foot — but the booth’s hearts were clearly in the stands.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for briefly
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
This is To Lam’s second time holding both jobs, after briefly doing so in 2024 when his predecessor as party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, died.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
About 10 minutes through the frame, the Avs briefly took the lead when Ross Colton batted a rebound out of the air and into the net off a deflection from the weak side.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
The camera briefly returned to the actual game — the Giants’ Landen Roupp threw a pitch to Jorge Polanco, who fouled the ball off his foot — but the booth’s hearts were clearly in the stands.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for briefly
Cite this Entry
“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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