brief

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: grief, brie, brier, rief, prief, bref, brien, bief, breef, bries, arief

Antonyms: grief, brie, brier, rief, prief, bref, brien, bief, breef, bries, arief

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Adjective

Of short [[duration]]; happening quickly. {{defdate|from 15th c.}}
[[concise|Concise]]; taking few words. {{defdate|from 15th c.}}
Occupying a small distance, area or [[spatial]] extent; [[short]]. {{defdate|from 17th c.}}
{{lb|en|obsolete}} Rife; common; prevalent.

{{lb|en|legal}} A writ summoning one to answer; an official letter or [[mandate]].
{{lb|en|legal}} An answer to any action.
{{lb|en|legal}} A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
{{lb|en|by extension|figurative}} A position of interest or [[advocacy]].
{{lb|en|legal}} An attorney's legal [[argument]] in [[written]] form for submission to a court.
{{lb|en|English law}} The material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who is [[counsel]] for the case.
{{lb|en|English law|slang}} A barrister who is counsel for a party in a legal action.
A [[short]] [[news]] story or [[report]].
{{lb|en|usually|in the plural}} [[underwear|Underwear]] [[briefs]].
{{attributive form of|en|briefs}}.
{{lb|en|usually|in the plural}} [[swimming briefs|Swimming briefs]].
{{lb|en|obsolete}} A [[summary]], [[précis]] or [[epitome]]; an [[abridgement]] or [[abstract]].

{{lb|en|transitive}} To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power.
{{lb|en|transitive|legal}} To write a legal argument and submit it to a [[court]].

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.