1
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
a brief but crucial admonition to keep quiet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in short
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately, the meeting was brief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flash
lasting only for a short time
a brief flash of light
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in summary
a short statement of the main points
a one-page brief of the intelligence report
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mission
a specific task with which a person or group is charged
the soldiers' brief was to secure the village from enemy attacks
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to inform
to give information to
the lieutenant briefed his superior officers on the state of the enemy's fortifications
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to summarize
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)
his duties include briefing intelligence reports for the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brief
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025
The chinks in the armor are most pronounced in the brief glimpses of Hao’s home life; his wife is a lifestyle coach for women and domestic conversations tend to arc towards tense gender essentialism.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Jan. 2025
The government’s brief acknowledged that ByteDance is incorporated in the Cayman Islands but said that its headquarters are in Beijing and that it is primarily operated from offices in China.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Barak Ravid, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
Seoul’s intelligence service briefed lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Monday, saying the main reason for mass casualties is due to the North Korean soldiers' lack of understanding in modern warfare, such as drone target shots and charging without rear fire support.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for brief 
Adjective
Now, after a requisite quarantine and brief preview period for zoo members, the panda exhibit and its accompanying Giant Panda Cam are back on full display.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025
The chinks in the armor are most pronounced in the brief glimpses of Hao’s home life; his wife is a lifestyle coach for women and domestic conversations tend to arc towards tense gender essentialism.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
Yeah — the brief was: Nothing that doesn’t affect Jamie and Claire gets in.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Jan. 2025
The government’s brief acknowledged that ByteDance is incorporated in the Cayman Islands but said that its headquarters are in Beijing and that it is primarily operated from offices in China.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
Netanyahu met Smotrich on Thursday, urged him not to resign and briefed him about his discussions with the incoming Trump administration about the deal, a source with knowledge said.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
Seoul’s intelligence service briefed lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Monday, saying the main reason for mass casualties is due to the North Korean soldiers' lack of understanding in modern warfare, such as drone target shots and charging without rear fire support.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for brief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brief
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump has long had a tendency to namecheck high-profile figures in concise terms of affection or derision.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Below is a concise ABCD framework for proactive engagement: A – Activate Agency Stay Vigilant: Use AI with intention.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 210 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes.—
Elizabeth Keogh,
New York Daily News,
28 Jan. 2025
-
Maria Bakalova also made the front row, in a short white suit with sheer overlays.—
Rhonda Richford,
WWD,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The German figures come a day before the scheduled release of flash inflation data for the euro area, which will be closely watched by investors for guidance on the odds of another interest rate cut from the European Central Bank.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2024
-
Residents who live near the intersection where the accident occurred said the flash mobs of street takeovers have become weekly occurrences in their neighborhood.—
Nathan Solis,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2022
Noun
-
My colleagues will go into more detail about the changes, but here is a summary of key headlines: STREAMING CNN Max has been a tremendous resource for us.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The minutes of the meeting, which were recorded by Otto Rank, on January 11th, 1911, are essentially a summary of Hilferding's presentation.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Precise timing is critical for successful Mars missions, with the next window occurring in October 2026.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
-
The mission of the four-and-a-half-year-old Power of She is not only to elevate Athleta’s brand recognition and have top athletes appear in Athleta apparel and ads.—
David Moin,
WWD,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Morningstar informs us that the SPDR Bloomberg High Yield fund has averaged a total return (coupons plus price changes) of 5.1% a year, three points better than the return on the Vanguard all-purpose fund that owns only higher quality debt.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
-
In one, the team informed the models that achieving a high score would incur pain.—
Conor Purcell,
Scientific American,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Other news organizations such as the New York Times and Sky News had stories incorrectly summarized.—
David Phelan,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
-
This content was summarized by generative artificial intelligence using public filings retrieved from SEC.gov.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The John McDonough creation, which has ignited a slew of copycats since the inaugural fan fest in 1986, is a marketing tool like no other, changing little over the years.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The ensuing reply-all showed little sympathy for the ninety-five-year-old school and its community.—
Jessica Winter,
The New Yorker,
18 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to brief
Thesaurus Entries Near brief
Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brief. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share