briefly
gb/bɹˈifli/ us/bɹˈifli/
A2
English
~ 2600
rövid ideig, röviden, tömören
A2
1
rövid ideig
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone] [verb] briefly
She paused briefly before answering.
Rövid szünetet tartott, mielőtt válaszolt.
We met briefly at the conference last year.
Tavaly a konferencián csak futólag találkoztunk.
The lights flickered briefly and then went out.
He smiled briefly before leaving the room.
They spoke briefly about their plans.
Learner examples
I talked to her briefly.
Csak rövid ideig beszéltem vele.
He stopped briefly to look at the map.
Rövid időre megállt, hogy megnézze a térképet.
We met briefly in the park.
The teacher spoke briefly to the class.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'briefly' with 'shortly', but 'shortly' often means 'in a short time' rather than 'for a short time'.
Meaning
For a short period of time
Collocations
pause briefly
|stop briefly
|smile briefly
|visit briefly
|speak briefly
Synonyms
shortly (Can also mean 'soon', so not always interchangeable.)
Antonyms
lengthily (Means in a long or extended way, opposite of briefly.)
Themes
daily life
|communication
|time
|core_vocabulary
Definition
For a short time.
For a short duration; lasting only a small amount of time.
B1
2
Usage pattern:
[someone] [verb] briefly
She explained briefly what had happened.
Röviden elmagyarázta, mi történt.
The report briefly mentions the issue.
A jelentés röviden megemlíti a problémát.
He described the process briefly before starting.
I will speak briefly about our goals.
They touched on the subject only briefly.
Learner examples
He explained the rules briefly.
Röviden elmagyarázta a szabályokat.
She told me the story briefly.
Röviden elmesélte nekem a történetet.
The teacher described the plan briefly.
I will talk about it briefly.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with 'for a short time', but here the focus is on few words, not duration.
Meaning
In a few words
Collocations
explain briefly
|describe briefly
|mention briefly
|summarize briefly
Synonyms
concisely (Slightly more formal; emphasizes clarity and brevity.)
Antonyms
lengthily (Means using many words or taking a long time to explain.)
Themes
communication
|writing
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Using only a few words; in a short way.
Using only a small number of words; concisely.
Grammar
Dictionary form
briefly
IPA
GB/bɹˈifli/
US/bɹˈifli/
Syllables & stress
briefly (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (briefly)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: briefly
- Plural: brieflies
Word family
Expressions
briefly speaking
1/bɹˈifli spˈikɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Speaking in few words
Saying something in a short way, without many details.
Examples
- Briefly speaking, the project failed due to lack of funds.
- Briefly speaking, we need more time.
to put it briefly
1/tə pˈʊt ˈɪt bɹˈifli/
fixed phrase
Summarize in few words
To say something in a short and clear way, without extra detail.
Examples
- To put it briefly, we lost the contract.
- To put it briefly, she decided not to go.