shortlyshort‧ly /ˈʃɔːtli $ ˈʃɔːrt-/ ●●● S3 W3 adverb 
Ms Jones will be back shortly.shortly before/after something The accident happened shortly before midday.► see thesaurus at soon2 written speaking in an impatient and unfriendly way SYN abruptly: ‘I’ve explained that already,’ Rod said shortly.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "I've already told them that," Jim said shortly.
- Her last novel was published shortly after her death.
- The President will shortly be on his way to Italy for a trade conference.
- We apologize for the delay -- the train will be leaving shortly.
- But this is not possible, as we shall see shortly!
- Ideally, Brown said, the city should host the Super Bowl in a new football stadium, sometime shortly after 1999.
- Jill quit the habit shortly before Christmas.
- Price Waterhouse intends to publish the survey's results shortly.
- The floating charge obtained recognition shortly before this.
- The incident remained in his mind and was reinforced by another experience he had shortly afterwards.
- We report on patients with chronic viral hepatitis who died of hepatic decompensation during or shortly after interferon alfa treatment.
- Wine is intended to be drunk, as I aim to be shortly after finishing this.
THESAURUS
in a short time from now, or a short time after something else happens: · See you soon!· It seemed difficult at first, but I soon got used to it.
in the next few weeks or months. In the near future is more formal than soon: · The book will be on sale in the near future.
very soon – used to talk about something good happening: · You’ll be feeling better in no time at all.· In no time at all, her son was starting to speak Japanese.
spoken used to say that you will do something or something will happen within a few minutes: · I’ll be ready in a minute.· The film’s going to start in a minute.
spoken used to say that something will or may happen very soon, but you do not know exactly when: · They should be here any minute now.
spoken used to say that something will or may happen in the next few days, but you do not know exactly when: · I’m hoping to hear from her any day now.
formal a short time from now: · They will be with us shortly.· the new laws that will shortly be coming into effect
especially literary soon – used especially when something happens which you expected to happen: · They got married, and before long Anna was expecting a baby.
used when saying that something will happen soon: · It won’t be long before everything is back to normal.· I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the same thing happened again.
Longman Language Activatorin a short time from now or from a particular time in a short time from now, or a short time after something else happens: · It'll soon be Christmas.· Driving in the city was hard at first, but she soon got used to it.· Why wasn't I told about this sooner?as soon as possible: · Please reply as soon as possible.as soon as you can: · I came as soon as I could.the sooner the better (=used to say that it is important that something is done very soon): · We need to get him to a hospital, and the sooner the better.after/afterwards: · They set off soon after breakfast.
after a fairly short time: · Those two will be getting married before long.· Her eyelids began to droop and before long she was fast asleep.
soon - use this especially about something that you know will happen soon: · We apologize for the delay -- the train will be leaving shortly.· The President will shortly be on his way to Italy for a trade conference.shortly after: · Her last novel was published shortly after her death.
use this to talk about something that will happen in the next few weeks or months, although you do not know exactly when: · She doesn't have a driver's license, but is hoping to pass her test in the near future.· A new health club is to be built here in the not too distant future.
spoken use this to say that something will happen soon or someone will arrive soon: · Dinner won't be long.· "When's Dad coming home?'' "He won't be long.''it won't be long before: · It won't be long before we're off on vacation.
use this to talk about something that happened fairly soon after a particular event: · They started playing together in June 1961, and it wasn't long before they got a recording contract.
if you do something quickly , you do it very soon after something else happens: · Alex was knocked to the ground, but he quickly recovered.· Fortunately, India quickly returned to calm after Mrs Gandhi's death.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Not long after the wedding, his wife became ill. The family moved to Hardingham in June 1983, and Sarah’s first child was born soon after. Charles arrived shortly afterwards. Most EU countries have signed the agreement and the US is expected to follow shortly (=soon). Sophie was born in France, but shortly thereafter her family moved to the United States.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
Not long after the wedding, his wife became ill. The family moved to Hardingham in June 1983, and Sarah’s first child was born soon after. Charles arrived shortly afterwards.· My parents are due to arrive shortly.
Most EU countries have signed the agreement and the US is expected to follow shortly (=soon). Sophie was born in France, but shortly thereafter her family moved to the United States.· He was given a rapturous reception by a flag-waving crowd of 5,000 when the result was announced shortly after midnight.· Doherty said deals with content providers may be announced shortly but declined to elaborate.· Nine would be set up in areas to be announced shortly.· Details of a deal with leisure wear company Cotton Traders will be announced shortly.· I will announce shortly the work programme for the coming year.· The match will be all-ticket with an anticipated 25,000 capacity crowd and distribution arrangements will be announced shortly.· Its location and the names of the major players in the consortium financing it will be announced shortly.· Further non-Emap consumer partnership deals will be announced shortly.
· Kenneth Baker arrived shortly afterwards, positively beaming.· Expecting reinforcements to arrive shortly, he felt fairly secure.· So when the invitation to become president of BitC arrived shortly afterwards, Charles accepted with alacrity.· We arrived shortly before dusk and dropped off our bags at the temple.· The yield from Oxford would arrive shortly.· Your next invoice will be arriving shortly.· The rest of the squad arrived shortly after ten o'clock in the team bus.· She arrived shortly after the invasion.
· Recording will begin shortly for a second title, Better Than Life, which is due in the autumn.· The debacle began shortly after we arrived for dinner one night.· In July a series of yellow signs appeared in central London, warning that potentially disruptive pre-construction work would shortly begin.· The magazine began shortly after Kristol spent about a year faxing unsolicited political advice and opinion all around Washington.· The period covered by the narrative in Acts begins shortly after the Crucifixion and ends somewhere between A.D. 64 and 67.· Consultations with the trade unions and other interested parties would begin shortly.· It is no coincidence that the latest cycle of rising oil prices began shortly after Chavez came to power in February 1999.· The alert began shortly after midnight.
· Revenge came shortly thereafter, but not upon Marro.· My hon. Friend will be glad to know that the denial of information will shortly come to an end.· The announcement came shortly before the close of trading Friday.· My first glimpse of Strathnaver came shortly after Crombie Saunders' guide appeared, in 1955, on a family holiday.
· There were no deaths during the study, but two patients died shortly afterwards.· His father was a salesman who died shortly afterward.· One of these presented with a perforated small bowel lymphoma and died shortly after diagnosis.· Lothair died shortly after the birth of their daughter Emma.· The experience often leads to depression and serious illness; indeed many people die shortly after retiring.· Others will languish and die shortly because of lack proper food.· Two died shortly afterwards and the third one died in 1986.· Many blood recipients die shortly after their transfusions.
· The maid's vacant expression was replaced momentarily by one of greedy expectation - shortly followed by disappointment.· The first telephone call followed shortly thereafter.· His resignation from a job scheduled to end in 2003 followed shortly afterwards.· The House approved it 414-16, and the Senate followed shortly afterward with a vote of 91-5.· However, many disk writes are shortly followed by another to the same sector.· Doing so allows the inflammation to reoccur and an asthma attack can follow shortly.· Armando Guebuza, expressed the hope that a comprehensive ceasefire agreement would follow shortly.· By 4 p. m. Monday, half the plants were already down and others were expected to follow shortly.
· Their new Charter will be published shortly.· A paper written by Mrs. Peel is to be published shortly.· I understand that the report on that is to be published shortly.· The government will also shortly publish a survey of spending in 100 grant maintained schools.· Further details of these changes, together with the new numbers, will be published shortly.
· The drivers piled them into cars and drove off to return shortly for another load.· The men drank brandy and ate kichel and returned shortly after to the streets.· He returned shortly afterwards but gave no indication to anyone of who had phoned.· This slow process led in the direction of Hinduism, a vast eclectic synthesis to which we shall return shortly.· Emily Lightbody returned shortly before five.
· Paul Westhead said shortly after arriving.
WORD FAMILYnounshortshortageshortnessshortsshortyverbshortenshortadverbshortshortlyadjectiveshort
1soon: Ms Jones will be back shortly.shortly before/after something The accident happened shortly before midday.► see thesaurus at soon2 written speaking in an impatient and unfriendly way SYN abruptly: ‘I’ve explained that already,’ Rod said shortly.