Briefly definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

“

But this briefly is the case of the first I had a friend, who had been basely attempted to be assassinated by bravoes, hired by a man of title in Italy, who, like many other persons of title, had no honour; and, at Padua, I had the fortune to disarm one of these bravoes in my friend's defence, and made him confess his employer; and him, I own, I challenged.

—Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded

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Definitions (5)

American Heritage Dictionary

Century Dictionary (2)

In a brief manner; concisely; in few words.
With little length; shortly: as, in entom., briefly pilose, hairy, or spinous. [Rare.]

GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

WordNet (2)

Elsewhere on the web

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Examples (50)

His mouth twisted briefly, as if he tasted something bitter. — Lilith Saintcrow - [Dante Valentine 1] - Working for the Devil
A cloud of smoke obscured his face briefly, then dispersed. — The Art of Detection
He screamed once, briefly, and then took a second instinctive step. — Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
He peered at the crisp new map briefly, then pointed to a spot on the left side of the moor. — The Moor - Laurie R King - Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes 04
The lander's drive hissed briefly, and as the rein lines slackened and they moved around Quentin Ferrol kept his eyes on the tactical display. — Warhorse