1
as in briefly
in a few words
the sudden closing of the restaurant was announced only with a shortly worded sign: "Out of Business"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soon
at or within a short time
the meeting will begin shortly, so don't go too far away to find a bathroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shortly
The incident happened shortly before 1 p.m. at the Laredo International Airport, where the aircraft was participating in the WBCA Stars & Stripes Air Show Spectacular.
—
Landon Mion, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2025
He was tended to by other police, who arrived shortly thereafter, and was rushed to Waterbury Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
—Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025
In 2020, the Lightning dealt a first-round pick and 2019 first-rounder (Nolan Foote) for Blake Coleman and then another first-round pick shortly thereafter for Barclay Goodrow.
—Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Joe Biden later pardoned him of all the charges shortly before leaving office.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortly 
Landon Mion, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2025
He was tended to by other police, who arrived shortly thereafter, and was rushed to Waterbury Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
—Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025
In 2020, the Lightning dealt a first-round pick and 2019 first-rounder (Nolan Foote) for Blake Coleman and then another first-round pick shortly thereafter for Barclay Goodrow.
—Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Joe Biden later pardoned him of all the charges shortly before leaving office.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly
Adverb
-
Wong, 42, and Hader, 46, have been together since 2023 after briefly dating in 2022, according to People and Entertainment Tonight.—
Kim Willis,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Trump, who met briefly with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, also said the Eagles were a fantastic team.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
They could soon be joined by tens of thousands of Syrians forcibly deported by neighboring countries that may use Assad’s departure as a pretext to expel them.—
Jesse Marks,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Book soon, past events have filled up with thousands of visitors.—
Anna Spiegel,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
This story also has been updated to more precisely describe the stock awards.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
-
And the Trump administration’s freeze on U.S. foreign aid and gutting of USAID puts in jeopardy humanitarian and development programming across the country, including funding for the UNHCR, precisely at a moment in which millions of Syrians continue to depend on humanitarian aid.—
Jesse Marks,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near shortly
Cite this Entry
“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortly. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share