Briefly has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
Adverb
Adverb
1
for a short time
"she visited him briefly"
"was briefly associated with IBM"
2
in a concise manner; in a few words
"the history is summed up concisely in this book"
"she replied briefly"
"briefly, we have a problem"
"to put it shortly"
3
In a brief manner, summarily.
"The manager briefly addressed the meeting to get everyone back on schedule."
In plain English: Briefly means doing something for only a short amount of time without taking long to finish it.
"She briefly explained her plan before leaving for lunch."
Example Sentences
"She briefly explained her plan before leaving for lunch."
adv
"He briefly mentioned his plans for the weekend before hanging up."
adv
"She paused to briefly touch her friend's shoulder in comfort."
adv
"The news report briefly covered the local weather forecast."
adv
Related Terms
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Origin
The word briefly comes from Middle English and is formed by adding the suffix -ly to the adjective brief. It has retained its original meaning of "for a short time" as it traveled into modern usage.