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adverb

briefly

CEFR B1

for a short time

In a sentence

Six example sentences with briefly, each labelled with its topic.

  • The bassist stepped forward briefly during the solo, then retreated to the shadows for the rest of the set.

    Music

  • The compound glows briefly under ultraviolet light, fading within two seconds, so the camera shutter must open immediately.

    Science

  • The point guard paused briefly at the top of the key before driving hard toward the baseline.

    Basketball

  • The train stopped briefly at the mountain junction, just long enough to buy hot tea through the window.

    Travel

  • The minister appeared briefly at the rally, waved from the steps, and was back in her car within four minutes.

    Politics

  • Blanch the beans briefly, thirty seconds at most, then plunge them into ice water to keep the color bright.

    Cooking

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Found in these word lists

Found in 3 published word listsAuthoritative

Each source is a published word list that contains briefly. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.

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