momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ly ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē 

1

: for a moment

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment : in a moment

Synonyms

• anon
• before long
• by and by
• directly
• presently
• shortly
• soon

Examples of momentarily in a Sentence

The wind let up momentarily, allowing us to start a campfire.

He paused momentarily before finishing his speech.

We expect them to arrive momentarily.

Recent Examples on the Web

Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025

Is there anyone who flies regularly who hasn’t momentarily panicked over misplacing their ticket or driver’s license? —Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

And when Jake is distracted and momentarily taken aback after getting a fleeting glance of his nephew, Banner fires two bullets into Clyde before Clyde can kill Jake. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 2025

The tariff placed on Mexican goods in March momentarily prompted a sharp slowdown in crossings. —Danielle Kaye, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for momentarily

• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• necessarily
• ordinarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily

Kids Definition

momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tari·​ly

ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē

1

: for a moment

the pain eased momentarily

2

archaic : instantly

3

: at any moment

we expect them momentarily