brief
brief — adjective
1. taking little time, or expressed with only the main words and no extra detail.
taking little time, or expressed with only the main words and no extra detail.
The doctor gave a brief answer before hurrying to the next room.
brief + answer for few words
Our meeting was brief because the train strike started at noon.
brief + event for short duration
Bao sent a brief email saying the package would arrive tomorrow.
brief + message noun
After a brief pause, the singer walked back onto the stage.
- brief answer
- brief meeting
- brief email
- brief pause
Grammar Patterns
brief meeting
brief answer
brief email
brief pause
Usage Note
Common with nouns for time, speech, writing, and events. Distinguish from adjective/2, which adds the feeling that the time passed faster than expected.
Common Mistakes
2. used to say that a period of time seemed to pass very quickly, often faster than
used to say that a period of time seemed to pass very quickly, often faster than you wanted.
The Watanabe family's week in Hualien felt brief once school started again.
time period + felt brief
Summer always seems brief when the beach is finally warm enough.
season + seems brief
That quiet hour with Grandpa was brief and deeply precious.
After months of planning and saving, the holiday seemed brief.
holiday + seemed brief
- felt brief
- seemed brief
- was brief
- holiday seemed brief
- fleeting
more literary and strongly suggests passing very quickly
- short-lived
focuses on not lasting long, especially experiences or feelings
- passing
suggests something temporary, often in a reflective tone
- endless
seems to continue for a very long time
Grammar Patterns
visit + felt brief
summer + seemed brief
hour + was brief
Usage Note
Usually follows nouns for periods such as 'visit', 'holiday', 'summer', or 'childhood'. Distinguish from adjective/1: adjective/1 measures length, while this sense comments on how fast the time seemed to go.
3. describing clothes cut very high or small, so they leave a lot of skin visible.
describing clothes cut very high or small, so they leave a lot of skin visible.
Imani chose a brief silver dress for the school's final dance show.
brief + clothing item
In the shop window, a brief tennis skirt hung above neon trainers.
brief + clothing item in fashion display
Her stage costume was so brief that she added a long coat.
The magazine praised the brief bikini top in its summer style guide.
- brief dress
- brief shorts
- brief top
- brief costume
- long
covers more of the body or legs
Grammar Patterns
brief dress
brief shorts
brief top
brief costume
Usage Note
Mainly used with clothes such as dresses, skirts, shorts, or tops. It often comments on style and can sound approving or critical depending on context.
in brief
idiomSaid when giving only the most important information about something.
In brief, the project finished ahead of schedule and under budget.
Could you tell me in brief what happened at the meeting?
brief — verb
1. to tell a person the important facts or directions they need before a task, even
to tell a person the important facts or directions they need before a task, event, or decision.
Before dawn, the coach briefed the rowers on the river conditions.
brief + person on + topic
New staff were briefed about fire exits during the first hour.
passive: be briefed about
The editor briefed Noa on the mayor's evening interview.
At the gate, police briefed fans on the new bag rules.
- brief the team on
- brief staff about
- be briefed on
- brief police on
- mislead
to give information that causes wrong understanding
Grammar Patterns
brief + person on + topic
brief + person about + topic
be briefed on + topic
Usage Note
The object is usually a person or group, and the topic often follows with 'on' or 'about'. It is frequent in workplace, military, police, and news contexts, and passive forms are very common.
Common Mistakes
2. to pass selected facts to reporters or the public in order to improve or damage
to pass selected facts to reporters or the public in order to improve or damage how a person or plan is seen.
Before the vote, party aides briefed against the transport minister.
brief against + person
After the leak, senior officials briefed against the housing plan in breakfast interviews.
brief against + policy
Unnamed advisers briefed for the rail link in late-night calls to reporters.
brief for + proposal
Before dawn, two ministers briefed for the budget deal in calls to reporters.
brief for + deal + to reporters
- brief against the minister
- brief against the plan
- brief for the policy
- brief for the deal
- withhold comment
to refuse to release information publicly
Grammar Patterns
brief against + person
brief against + plan
brief for + policy
Usage Note
Most often appears as 'brief against' or 'brief for' in political or media reporting. Unlike verb/1, this sense is strategic and aims to shape public opinion rather than simply explain key facts.
brief — noun
1. a very short way of stating something that gives only the main points, usually i
a very short way of stating something that gives only the main points, usually in the phrase 'in brief'.
In brief, the storm damaged three boats and closed the harbor.
fixed phrase: in brief
The leaflet states, in brief, that all bags are checked.
The night manager's note, in brief, said the front doors stay locked.
note, in brief, + clause
The article, in brief, warns parents about false school messages.
- in brief
- note, in brief,
- say in brief
- state in brief
- detail
a single small fact rather than a short overall statement
Grammar Patterns
in brief
noun phrase, in brief, + clause
Usage Note
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'in brief', especially in writing, reports, and presentations. Distinguish from adjective/1, which directly describes something as short.
Common Mistakes
2. close-fitting underpants that reach from the waist to the upper thighs.
close-fitting underpants that reach from the waist to the upper thighs.
Rohan packed two cotton briefs for the three-day hospital stay.
usually plural: briefs
The store sells black briefs near the socks and undershirts.
After gym class, Kai changed into clean briefs in the locker room.
These swim briefs dry quickly in the sun by the pool.
briefs in product naming
- cotton briefs
- swim briefs
- pair of briefs
- clean briefs
- underpants
general everyday word for underwear worn under clothes
- underwear
broader word that includes many kinds, not only this shape
- trunks
a different style, usually with longer legs than briefs
Grammar Patterns
cotton briefs
swim briefs
pair of briefs
Usage Note
Usually appears as the plural noun 'briefs' in everyday English. The singular form is mostly seen in shopping language, product labels, or when counting one item.
Common Mistakes
3. a short outline giving the aims, instructions, or background for a job or projec
a short outline giving the aims, instructions, or background for a job or project.
The designer read the brief before drawing the first poster idea.
read the brief for a project
Our brief is to make the app safer for older users.
brief is to + verb
At noon, the team received a brief on tomorrow's factory visit.
receive a brief on + topic
The charity wrote a clear brief for volunteers at the food bank.
- design brief
- project brief
- read the brief
- brief is to
- instructions
more general and does not suggest a formal document or set of key points
- assignment
focuses more on the task given than on the background information
- outline
suggests a plan or structure rather than full working instructions
Grammar Patterns
read the brief
brief is to + verb
receive a brief on + topic
write a brief for + person
Usage Note
Common in work, design, military, and government settings. It can name the document itself or the set of instructions someone receives. Distinguish from verb/1, which is the act of giving the information.
4. the legal papers that give a lawyer the facts and arguments of a court case.
the legal papers that give a lawyer the facts and arguments of a court case.
Before the appeal, the barrister studied the brief and marked key pages.
study the brief in legal context
Court staff couriered the brief to Hana two days before the hearing.
At noon, a clerk added the new witness statement to the brief.
add to the brief
Before court resumed, the judge asked whether the trial brief was complete.
- legal brief
- study the brief
- send the brief
- complete brief
- case file
broader and may include administrative papers as well
- dossier
a collected set of documents, not specifically for a court argument
- submission
often one formal written argument rather than the whole case packet
Grammar Patterns
study the brief
send the brief
add to the brief
Usage Note
Legal use only. Distinguish from noun/5: this sense is the set of case papers, not the lawyer who argues the case.
5. a lawyer chosen to speak for a client in court.
a lawyer chosen to speak for a client in court.
The family hired a skilled brief for the fraud trial.
hire a brief
Outside court, the brief spoke quietly with the worried client.
Their new brief asked for every rent receipt from the past year.
After the ruling, Noa thanked her brief on the court steps.
thank your brief
- senior brief
- hire a brief
- speak with your brief
- brief for the trial
Grammar Patterns
hire a brief
brief for + case
thank your brief
Usage Note
Chiefly British legal English and much less common than 'barrister' or 'counsel'. Distinguish from noun/4, which means the case papers rather than the lawyer.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
For time or amount of wording, 'brief' is a flexible everyday choice. A brief meeting is short, and a brief email uses few words. 'Short' is broader and more basic: it can describe length, height, time, or quantity, so it often sounds less precise. 'Concise' and 'succinct' both focus on speech or writing that gives only the necessary points; 'succinct' is slightly more formal and often suggests especially neat expression. 'Terse' is different in tone: it may mean the words are few, but it often implies coldness or impatience. So you can say 'a brief note' or 'a concise report', but if a manager answers with one hard line, 'a terse reply' is usually the better choice.
Etymology
English brief came through Old French from Latin 'brevis', meaning 'short'. The adjective sense kept that basic idea of little length or little time. From the idea of a short written statement, English developed noun uses for a summary, a set of instructions, and legal case papers. The verb grew later from the noun: to brief someone was originally to give them the short written or spoken information they needed.