shortly

adverb

short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē 

1

a

: in a few words : briefly

b

: in an abrupt manner

2

a

: in a short time

we will be there shortly

b

: at a short interval

shortly after sunset

Synonyms

• briefly
• compactly
• concisely
• crisply
• curtly
• elliptically
• laconically
• pithily
• succinctly
• summarily
• tersely

Examples of shortly in a Sentence

He left shortly after you did.

“I can't help you right now,” he said shortly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Both of these are back very shortly now, stay tuned for reviews. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

The crash occurred shortly before 12:40 a.m. in the area of Exit 7 when a 1994 Honda Civic being driven north in the right lane by a 37-year-old Waterbury man was hit from the rear by a 2013 Honda CR-V, according to Connecticut State Police. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2025

Why Was the Blue Origin Launch Aborted Today? Launch controllers discovered a technical issue with one of the rocket's subsystems shortly before liftoff. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

With Trump set to take office for the second time shortly, Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear. —Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing shortly

• shortly after

Kids Definition

shortly

adverb

short·​ly ˈshȯrt-lē 

1

: in a few words : briefly

2

: in or within a short time : soon

will arrive shortly

shortly after sunset