1
a
: in a brief way
briefly mentioned
b
: in brief
the food, briefly, was awful
2
: for a short time
briefly married
Synonyms
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
The meteoric ride allowed Nvidia to briefly surpass Apple last week as the second most valuable company in the U.S. Nvidia surpassed $3 trillion in market value.
—
CBS News, 10 June 2024
One caution: Staring directly into the sun, even briefly, is dangerous and can cause permanent retinal damage.
—Benjamin Botsford, CNN, 10 June 2024
After a show was briefly sidelined in 2007 following a recurrence of cardiomyopathy, the legendary performer had to lean on the support of his wife.
—Vandana Pawa, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024
Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, for two, played in the Negro Leagues, if briefly, and their stats have been added to the revise.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for briefly 
CBS News, 10 June 2024
One caution: Staring directly into the sun, even briefly, is dangerous and can cause permanent retinal damage.
—Benjamin Botsford, CNN, 10 June 2024
After a show was briefly sidelined in 2007 following a recurrence of cardiomyopathy, the legendary performer had to lean on the support of his wife.
—Vandana Pawa, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024
Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, for two, played in the Negro Leagues, if briefly, and their stats have been added to the revise.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for briefly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'briefly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near briefly
Cite this Entry
“Briefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefly. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share