1
: short in duration, extent, or length
a brief meeting
briefness
noun
1
a
: an official letter or mandate (see mandate entry 1 sense 1)
b
: a specific instruction or responsibility
his brief was to strengthen the army
2
3
: an outline of an argument
especially, law
: a formal written presentation of an argument that sets forth the main points with supporting precedents and evidence
a legal brief
filed a brief
4
briefed; briefing; briefs
1
: to make an abstract or abridgment of
brief a report
summarized northeastern Siberian archaeology and has briefed many normally unavailable sources—
Wendell Oswalt
Wendell Oswalt2
a
: to give final precise instructions to
were briefed before their mission
b
: to coach thoroughly in advance
c
: to give essential information to
The president is being briefed by his advisors.
3
: to discuss (something, such as a military operation) in a briefing
briefed the mission
briefer
noun
Synonyms
Adjective
- aphoristic
- apothegmatic
- capsule
- compact
- compendious
- concise
- crisp
- curt
- elliptical
- elliptic
- epigrammatic
- laconic
- monosyllabic
- pithy
- sententious
- succinct
- summary
- telegraphic
- terse
- thumbnail
Noun
- abstract
- breviary
- capsule
- conspectus
- digest
- encapsulation
- epitome
- inventory
- outline
- précis
- recap
- recapitulation
- résumé
- resume
- resumé
- roundup
- run-through
- rundown
- sum
- sum-up
- summa
- summarization
- summary
- summing-up
- synopsis
- wrap-up
Verb
Examples of brief in a Sentence
Adjective
The meeting will be brief.
The essay is brief but thorough enough.
a few brief words of caution
Noun
Her brief is to manage the company's sales department.
a one-page brief of the intelligence report
Verb
The captain briefed the crew on the new safety procedures.
The President has been briefed by his advisers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Tennessee’s brief, meanwhile, presents a much more conspiratorial picture.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024
Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024
So far, legal teams for the government and Trump have filed their briefs to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit; a date for oral arguments has not been set.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
Goran Paun, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Simultaneously, Hal is on a call with President Rayburn to brief him on Penn's traitorous schemes.
—Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brief 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
After a brief impression of Judy, Paris offered some insight into one of the girls’ foremost comedic influences growing up.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Tennessee’s brief, meanwhile, presents a much more conspiratorial picture.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024
Noun
The briefs in the Skrmetti case paint two very different pictures of why medical professionals treat transgender patients with puberty blockers or hormones.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024
So far, legal teams for the government and Trump have filed their briefs to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit; a date for oral arguments has not been set.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
Formulaic project briefs or not-so-creative creative briefs.
—Goran Paun, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Simultaneously, Hal is on a call with President Rayburn to brief him on Penn's traitorous schemes.
—Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brief
Articles Related to brief
Dictionary Entries Near brief
Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brief. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brief
2 of 3 noun1
: a brief statement of the case a lawyer will present in court
2
plural
: short snug underpants
brief
3 of 3 verb
: to give information or instructions to
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English bref, breve "short, brief," from early French brief, bref (same meaning), from Latin brevis "short" — related to breve
Noun
Middle English bref "formal letter," from early French bref (same meaning), derived from Latin brevis "summary," from earlier brevis (adjective) "short, brief"
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