Meaning

In a short or brief time or manner; quickly..

Definitions by Sense

1. In a short or brief time or manner; quickly.
2. In or after a short time; soon.
3. In few words.
4. In an irritable ("short") manner.

Example Sentences

1862, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret […] his two ill-conditioned, canine favorites, which sat shivering before the smoky little fire, barking shortly and sharply now and then, by way of hinting for some slight refreshment.

The past perfect progressive is used for actions and situations which had continued up to a past moment or shortly before it.

No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.

The few men left alive figured that whatever the Spanish wanted to do to them, it couldn’t be any worse than that, so they surrendered quickly and shortly afterward got their heads cut off by the Spaniards, who at that time were a rather bloodthirsty lot themselves.

Kaplan-Miller said she first joined the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, an interfaith organization that was founded by a Muslim and a Jewish woman in suburban New Jersey, shortly after the 2016 election.

Ideas are generally expressed more shortly in verse than in prose

We shall not describe this tragical scene too fully; but we thought ourselves obliged, by that historic integrity which we profess, shortly to hint a matter which we would otherwise have been glad to have spared.

"Stop interrupting me, will ya?" she said shortly.

Synonyms for shortly

Related Words

When Should You Use Shortly?

Use shortly when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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