Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin brevis

brief

1 adjective
     
brief1 S2 W2
1 continuing for a short time:
We stopped by Alice's house for a brief visit.
Let's keep this conversation brief; I have a plane to catch.
a brief period/moment/spell etc
Greene spent a brief time at Cambridge.
2 using very few words or including few details:
The President read a brief statement to reporters before boarding his plane.
a brief description of the film
3

be brief

to say or write something using only a few words, especially because there is little time:
I'll be brief; a lot of changes are going to happen.
4 clothes which are brief are short and cover only a small area of your body:
a very brief bikini
WORD FOCUS: short WORD FOCUS: short
speech/piece of writing: brief, concise, condensed, abridged
person: not very tall, little, tiny, petite
time/event: brief, quick, momentary, fleeting, ephemeral, transient, passing, short-lived
legs/fingers: stumpy, stubby
clothes: skimpy

➔ See also short
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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