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
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Recent Examples of brief
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Richardson, who was injured while escaping the fire, faced a brief bedside hearing in the hospital on Friday.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The intelligence brief was meant to make law enforcement aware of indicators of possible violence at protests and ways to mitigate them in advance.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The cuts are also attributed to the spinoff of cable networks MSNBC and CNBC, according to a person briefed on the plans who was not authorized to comment.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brief
Adjective
Harmon, an executive producer on both series, has not appeared as Gibbs in CBS primetime since his brief appearance in the Origins pilot last year.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Richardson, who was injured while escaping the fire, faced a brief bedside hearing in the hospital on Friday.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
His brief had been to meld the period character with modernity.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The intelligence brief was meant to make law enforcement aware of indicators of possible violence at protests and ways to mitigate them in advance.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
On Thursday, before official confirmation, people briefed on the matter told The Athletic that WMP had requested that away fans be prevented from buying tickets to the match.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The cuts are also attributed to the spinoff of cable networks MSNBC and CNBC, according to a person briefed on the plans who was not authorized to comment.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brief
Adjective
-
The initiative focuses on publishing concise, high-quality species descriptions to shorten the gap between discovery and formal recognition drastically.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The other cuts in as needed — concise, disarming, right on cue.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her nails were short and polished black, and her makeup was also done with smoky black eyeliner.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Whether the on-site power is a short or long-term solution for hyperscalers, Liberty has an answer.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And many supermarkets offer bags of flash-frozen cranberries year-round.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
-
What To Know A map shared by the NWS on Facebook showed a broad corridor of flash-flood risk spanning the Western states and Southern Plains.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Chegg also sued Google in February, arguing that AI summaries of search results have hurt its traffic and sales.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Her mission is to be an example of overcoming adversity, reminding the world that true success comes from working with love, respect, and shining without dimming the light of others.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This year, the festival expands upon its environmental mission through a new partnership with Don't Trash Glass, a national program from the Glass Packaging Institute, a trade association that advocates for the use and recycling of glass, according to a news release.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Five weeks after her daughter’s drowning incident, Mara and their family received a letter from CPS informing them that their case had been closed after failing to prove neglectful supervision.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Provide a narrative that summarizes any changes in revenue, expense reductions and board notices to monitor current financial status in the district.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Google search results have AI summaries at the top, the Gemini digital assistant can summarize web pages and answer questions in Chrome.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Inside, two picnic tables were stacked on top of each other, leaving little room to climb.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
During last week's episode, viewers saw Dylan dance with his little sister, Olivia, for Dedication Night on.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brief. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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