brief
(adjective, noun, verb)
past tense: briefed
LISTEN
Briefs
Brief means ‘lasting a short time.’
- There will be a brief intermission during the performance.
- Eleanor took a brief vacation last month.
Brief also means ‘a short statement or written item including the most important facts.’
- The lawyer prepared her brief for the judge.
- Tony presented a brief to the committee.
Brief can also mean ‘to instruct someone with the relevant information.’
- The manager briefed her replacement on the open projects.
Common uses
Briefs, always in the plural, are underwear, either for men or women.
Did you know?
In advertising, a creative brief is a document developed by a customer defining audience, message, objectives, etc. Read more about it by clicking here.
In pop culture
The late physicist, Stephen Hawking, wrote A Brief History of Time, a popular science book on cosmology. Watch this brief video, based on the book, that explains black holes. No experience is necessary!
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