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
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in short
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately, the meeting was brief
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3
as in flash
lasting only for a short time
a brief flash of light
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1
as in summary
a short statement of the main points
a one-page brief of the intelligence report
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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
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1
as in to inform
to give information to
the lieutenant briefed his superior officers on the state of the enemy's fortifications
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of brief
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
But while the country is entering a brief period of limbo, one thing is all but certain.
—David Moscrop, TIME, 12 Jan. 2025
Ellen Knickmeyer, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
The state has taken two to four years to issue birth center licenses, according to a brief by the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the UC San Francisco.
—Ronnie Cohen, Sacramento Bee, 8 Jan. 2025
Aamer Madhani The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Dozens of high-profile amicus briefs from organizations, members of Congress and President-elect Donald Trump were filed supporting both the government and ByteDance.
—Cj Haddad, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for brief 
Adjective
Cameras caught Trump and Pence shake hands and exchange brief words before the start of the service at the Washington National Cathedral.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
But while the country is entering a brief period of limbo, one thing is all but certain.
—David Moscrop, TIME, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
The Justice Department’s brief earlier this week said that the government would be irreparably harmed if the guilty pleas were accepted for Mohammed and the two co-defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks.
—Ellen Knickmeyer, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
The state has taken two to four years to issue birth center licenses, according to a brief by the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the UC San Francisco.
—Ronnie Cohen, Sacramento Bee, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
The designation comes under a sanctions authority approved during Russia's 2014 invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, according to administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
—Aamer Madhani The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Dozens of high-profile amicus briefs from organizations, members of Congress and President-elect Donald Trump were filed supporting both the government and ByteDance.
—Cj Haddad, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for brief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brief
Adjective
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Effective Communication Effective leadership always involves clear and concise communication.—
Chris Williams,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Asking other people clear, concise questions can show empathy or establish your credibility, communication expert Matt Abrahams told CNBC Make It last year.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While a majority of shelter animals only stay a short while, this pup is different: He’s been a shelter resident for three years.—
TJ Macias,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2025
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Nintendo has finally revealed its new console, debuting the Switch 2 with a short video that went heavy on visuals but light on information.—
Ash Parrish,
The Verge,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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On Wednesday, Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler issued an order sealing the full list, according to a public case summary.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Jan. 2025
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Project construction, once set to begin in 2024 and finish in 2026, is now estimated to start this month, according to the grant summary.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Many agencies’ missions are associated with liberal or progressive causes, and conservatives who favor small government or deregulation have historically expressed frustration about the intransigence or even existence of the federal bureaucracy.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
The New Yorker,
16 Jan. 2025
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Still, even as Baldoni and his various flacks are also being taken to court for defamation and breach of contract by Stephanie Jones, the head of his former PR firm, Baldoni is quadrupling down on Lively and Reynolds in his David vs Goliath mission.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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He’s published books on Orson Welles, Abbas Kiarostami, Erich von Stroheim, Jim Jarmusch, and many more, with his teeth-cutting days as an extra for Robert Bresson and a script consultant for Jacques Tati continuing to inform his often irreverent cinematic close-readings.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Other news organizations such as the New York Times and Sky News had stories incorrectly summarized.—
David Phelan,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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This content was summarized by generative artificial intelligence using public filings retrieved from SEC.gov.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The summer of 2020 did little to allay those fears: Inexperienced intelligence officers from the agency were deployed to Portland, Ore., to compile dossiers on people protesting against police violence.—
Eileen Sullivan,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
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The case did little to diminish his reputation in the eyes of his successors.—
Jonathan M. Pitts,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brief. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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