1
as in briefly
in a few words
the sudden closing of the restaurant was announced only with a shortly worded sign: "Out of Business"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soon
at or within a short time
the meeting will begin shortly, so don't go too far away to find a bathroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortly
Williamson had only been switched to the defensive role, familiar from her club career, shortly before the tournament, having expected to play as a central midfielder.
—
Michael Cox, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Trump asked reporters in Washington shortly before the trip.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 Jan. 2025
The Town of Geneva Police Department said the boy was discovered shot in a home shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
But shortly before 2 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported that the blaze had stopped spreading.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortly 
Michael Cox, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Trump asked reporters in Washington shortly before the trip.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 Jan. 2025
The Town of Geneva Police Department said the boy was discovered shot in a home shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
But shortly before 2 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported that the blaze had stopped spreading.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly
Adverb
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Preparing To Fight Back Against Donald Trump SpaceX Launches Japanese and Texas Lunar Landers to the Moon The rock can be seen briefly in only one frame of the video, indicating its speed, the University of Alberta said.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
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Following the climactic events inside of Silo 18, the screen briefly faded to black, then returned to a contemporary street in Washington, D.C., where Zukerman’s Daniel arrived at a bar to meet, for a first time, Henwick’s Helen.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
17 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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The investigative duo soon realizes their killer commits his crimes to a soundtrack, leaving poetic calling cards on the corpses.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2025
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By Monica Sager Live News Reporter 0 The Lunar New Year starts soon, and this year for the Chinese celebration is in honor of the wood snake.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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The answer lay in precisely those qualities that made L.A. such an attractive place to live: its climate, its canyonside homes, its wild ridges accessible only by narrow roads.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
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Free people and free markets is the stuff of peace precisely because the free flow of goods and services is the greatest foreign policy concept mankind has ever conceived.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near shortly
Cite this Entry
“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortly. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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