brief
1 of 3adjective
ˈbrēf 
1
: short in duration, extent, or length
a brief meeting
2
a
: concise
gave a brief description of events
promises to be brief
b
: curt, abrupt
briefness noun
brief
2 of 3noun
1
a
: an official letter or mandate (see mandate entry 1 sense 1)
especially, Roman Catholicism : a papal letter less formal than a bull
b
: a specific instruction or responsibility
his brief was to strengthen the army
2
a
: a concise article (as in a newspaper)
a news brief
b
: synopsis, summary
c
law : a concise statement of a client's case made out for the instruction of an attorney usually by a law clerk
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
briefs plural [brief entry 1] : short snug pants or underpants
wearing briefs
brief
3 of 3verb
briefed; briefing; briefs
transitive verb
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
- acquaint
- advise
- apprise
- catch up
- clear
- clue (in)
- enlighten
- familiarize
- fill in
- hip
- inform
- instruct
- tell
- verse
- wise (up)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Kerry Mcdermott, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2022 Alan Byrd, a spokesperson for the chamber, sent a brief statement from Brodeur about the chamber’s review on Wednesday. Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 Trump later called both of them back on stage to stand alongside him for brief remarks. Sarah Ewall-wice, CBS News, 3 Sep. 2022 Markets initially took his brief remarks in stride but losses accelerated as the day went on. USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Assembly member Jamie Allard offered a brief statement of support for the ordinance. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Aug. 2022 The firings were announced in a brief statement by Minister of Technology and Industry Laszlo Palkovics, a top cabinet member in the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Fox News, 23 Aug. 2022 No police officers have been injured, Sheffer told reporters during brief remarks. CNN, 20 Aug. 2022 Before the video, City Council members will give brief remarks about the state of the city. Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 The county addressed this matter in a brief filed before trial. Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2022 In the brief filed to the Court, Thomas Dobbs and the State of Mississippi presented an argument about modern parenthood that seemed disconnected from reality. Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 11 May 2022 According to a brief filed by the National League of Cities, in an effort to fight visual clutter and reduce driving distractions, regulations in at least 30 states and thousands of local jurisdictions distinguish between on- and off-premises signs. Jess Bravin, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 The department defended the firing in a legal brief. Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2021 On Sunday, the Willy Wonka actor made a brief — but very strange — appearance at the 2022 Video Music Awards. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2022 The Power of the Dog, another drama directed by a respected auteur that most viewers streamed, is the latter’s brief, Oscar-qualifying theatrical run. Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2022 Her brief — extravagance, reflecting Peter’s (Nicholas Hoult) psyche. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 July 2022 Rick Klein, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2022 Microsoft rushed into a deal after The Wall Street Journal reported that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick knew about allegations of employee misconduct at the company but didn’t brief the board. Denny Jacob, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2022 Mishori said schools should brief athletes, coaches, custodians and others about the virus. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2022 Career lawyers at the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, failed to brief political appointees about major lawsuits. James Sherk, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 Reach out to lenders proactively and brief them on steps being taken. Mary Josephs, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 And the analysts, of course, have a responsibility to brief him every day. CBS News, 13 July 2022 For instance, when a financial services firm failed to properly brief and prepare its employees prior to a public announcement about its acquisition by a larger organization with global reach, the result was chaos that could have been avoided. Marie Swift, Forbes, 29 June 2022 But Cheney also displayed an email showing that there were discussions about having Klukowski — who had just joined the Justice Department — accompany Eastman to brief Vice President Mike Pence about how the election results could be reversed. Devlin Barrett, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2022 See More
Adjective
Crowds were already gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace by the time a brief official statement confirming the news came. Kerry Mcdermott, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2022 Alan Byrd, a spokesperson for the chamber, sent a brief statement from Brodeur about the chamber’s review on Wednesday. Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 Trump later called both of them back on stage to stand alongside him for brief remarks. Sarah Ewall-wice, CBS News, 3 Sep. 2022 Markets initially took his brief remarks in stride but losses accelerated as the day went on. USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Assembly member Jamie Allard offered a brief statement of support for the ordinance. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Aug. 2022 The firings were announced in a brief statement by Minister of Technology and Industry Laszlo Palkovics, a top cabinet member in the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Fox News, 23 Aug. 2022 No police officers have been injured, Sheffer told reporters during brief remarks. CNN, 20 Aug. 2022 Before the video, City Council members will give brief remarks about the state of the city. Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 Noun
Her brief, written by assistant solicitor general Christopher Allen on Nessel's behalf, directly takes on the idea that the words are illegible due to spacing issues. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 The county addressed this matter in a brief filed before trial. Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2022 In the brief filed to the Court, Thomas Dobbs and the State of Mississippi presented an argument about modern parenthood that seemed disconnected from reality. Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 11 May 2022 According to a brief filed by the National League of Cities, in an effort to fight visual clutter and reduce driving distractions, regulations in at least 30 states and thousands of local jurisdictions distinguish between on- and off-premises signs. Jess Bravin, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 The department defended the firing in a legal brief. Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2021 On Sunday, the Willy Wonka actor made a brief — but very strange — appearance at the 2022 Video Music Awards. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2022 The Power of the Dog, another drama directed by a respected auteur that most viewers streamed, is the latter’s brief, Oscar-qualifying theatrical run. Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2022 Her brief — extravagance, reflecting Peter’s (Nicholas Hoult) psyche. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 July 2022 Verb
The president receives the daily briefing at 9 a.m. ET. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief at 11:45 a.m. ET. Rick Klein, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2022 Microsoft rushed into a deal after The Wall Street Journal reported that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick knew about allegations of employee misconduct at the company but didn’t brief the board. Denny Jacob, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2022 Mishori said schools should brief athletes, coaches, custodians and others about the virus. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2022 Career lawyers at the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, failed to brief political appointees about major lawsuits. James Sherk, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 Reach out to lenders proactively and brief them on steps being taken. Mary Josephs, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 And the analysts, of course, have a responsibility to brief him every day. CBS News, 13 July 2022 For instance, when a financial services firm failed to properly brief and prepare its employees prior to a public announcement about its acquisition by a larger organization with global reach, the result was chaos that could have been avoided. Marie Swift, Forbes, 29 June 2022 But Cheney also displayed an email showing that there were discussions about having Klukowski — who had just joined the Justice Department — accompany Eastman to brief Vice President Mike Pence about how the election results could be reversed. Devlin Barrett, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English bref, breve, from Anglo-French bref, brief, from Latin brevis; akin to Old High German murg short, Greek brachys
Noun
Middle English bref, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin brevis, from Late Latin, summary, from Latin brevis brief entry 1
Verb
verbal derivative of brief entry 2
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing brief
Kids Definition
brief 1 of 2
adjective
ˈbrēf
briefer; briefest
: not very long : short
a brief explanation
brief
2 of 2verb
briefed; briefing
: to give information or instructions to
The captain briefed the crew on the plan.
Legal Definition
brief 1 of 2
noun
1
: a concise statement of a client's case written for the instruction of an attorney usually by a law clerk
called also memorandum
2
: a formal written presentation of an argument that sets forth the main points with supporting precedents and evidence
Note: Briefs are filed either by a party or an amicus curiae with a court usually regarding a specific motion (as for summary judgment) or point of law.
brief
2 of 2transitive verb
: to write a brief concerning (a motion or question of law)
in brief
phrase
as in concisely
in a few words explained the topic in brief The consultant's conclusion, in brief, was that the company needed to hire more workers to meet demand. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- concisely
- briefly
- shortly
- precisely
- exactly
- succinctly
- in short
- laconically
- curtly
- crisply
- summarily
- tersely
- pithily
- abruptly
- compactly
- in sum
- elliptically
- sententiously
- aphoristically
- bluntly
- in a nutshell
- bluffly
- brusquely
- in a word
- monosyllabically
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- verbosely
- wordily
- diffusely
- long-windedly
- redundantly
- repetitiously