momentarily

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Related to momentarily: erroneously, thoroughly

mo·men·tar·i·ly

(mō′mən-târ′ə-lē)

adv.

1. For a moment or an instant.

2. In a moment; very soon.

3. Usage Problem At the moment; for the time being.

Usage Note: Momentarily is widely used in speech to mean "in a moment, shortly," as in The manager is on another line, but she'll be with you momentarily. Many critics dislike this use, insisting that the adverb should only be used to mean "for a moment," as in He hesitated momentarily before entering the room. But the Usage Panel's resistance to the nontraditional use has waned over time. For the first example above, the Usage Panel acceptance rate was 59 percent in 1988, 68 percent in 1999, and 83 percent in 2013. Also in 2013, 63 percent of the Panel approved of the vaguer use of momentarily in the sense of "at the moment" where the length of time is open-ended, as in The file server is momentarily out of order. This figure is up slightly from the 58 percent acceptance rate for the same sentence in 1999.

momentarily

(ˈməʊməntərəlɪ; -trɪlɪ)

adv

1. for an instant; temporarily

2. from moment to moment; every instant

3. US and Canadian very soon

Also (for senses 1, 2): momently

mo•men•tar•i•ly

(ˌmoʊ mənˈtɛər ə li, ˈmoʊ mənˌtɛr-)

adv.

1. for a moment; briefly.

2. at any moment; imminently.

3. instantly.

[1645–55]

momentarily

, presently - Momentarily means "in a moment"; presently means "soon" or "shortly."

momentarily

Something that happens momentarily happens for only a short time.

She paused momentarily when she saw them.

He had momentarily forgotten that the Captain couldn't see.

In American English, momentarily is also used to mean 'very soon indeed', especially in announcements about the arrival or departure of planes. 'Momentarily' is not used like this in British English.

We will arrive in Paris momentarily.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adv.	1.	momentarily - for an instant or moment; "we paused momentarily before proceeding"; "a cardinal perched momently on the dogwood branch" momently
	2.	momentarily - at any moment; "she will be with you momently" momently

momentarily

adverb briefly, for a moment, temporarily, for a second, for a minute, for a short time, for an instant, for a little while, for a short while, for the nonce She paused momentarily when she saw them.

Translations

لِلَـحْظَةٍمُؤَقَّتا

ihnedkrátcena okamžik

flygtigtmomentant

momentan vorübergehend

προς στιγμή

momentáneamente

hetkeksi

momentanément

trenutačno

í eitt augnablik

momentaneamente

ちょっとの間

순간적으로

kortstondig

for et øyeblikk hvert øyeblikk

momentalnie

momentaneamente

очень быстро

na okamih

för ett ögonblick

ในเวลาอันใกล้

bir an içinbir anlığına

trong giây lát

即刻短暂地

momentarily

[ˈməʊməntərɪlɪ] ADV

1. (= for a moment) → por un momento, momentáneamente
he paused momentarily to → paró un momento para ...

2. (US) (= at any moment) → de un momento a otro, en seguida, ahorita (LAm)

momentarily

[ˌməʊmənˈtɛrəli] adv

(= for a short time) → momentanément

(US) (= soon) → bientôt

momentarily

adv

→ (für) einen Augenblick or Moment; she shivered momentarily → sie zitterte einen Moment lang

(US) (= very soon) → jeden Augenblick or Moment; (= from moment to moment) → zusehends

momentarily

[ˈməʊmənt/ərɪlɪ] adv (for a second) → per un momento (Am) (very soon) → da un momento all'altro

moment

(ˈməumənt) noun

1. a very short space of time. I'll be ready in a moment; after a few moments' silence.

2. a particular point in time. At that moment, the telephone rang.

ˈmomentary adjective

lasting for only a moment. a momentary feeling of fear.

ˈmomentarily ((American) moumənˈte-) adverb

moˈmentous (-ˈmen-) adjective

of great importance. a momentous event.

moˈmentously adverb

at the moment

at this particular time; now. She's rather busy at the moment.

the moment (that)

exactly when. I want to see him the moment he arrives.

momentarily

→ لِلَـحْظَةٍ krátce momentant vorübergehend προς στιγμή momentáneamente hetkeksi momentanément trenutačno momentaneamente ちょっとの間 순간적으로 kortstondig hvert øyeblikk momentalnie momentaneamente очень быстро för ett ögonblick ในเวลาอันใกล้ bir anlığına trong giây lát 即刻

References in classic literature ?

My beast had an advantage in his first hold, having sunk his mighty fangs far into the breast of his adversary; but the great arms and paws of the ape, backed by muscles far transcending those of the Martian men I had seen, had locked the throat of my guardian and slowly were choking out his life, and bending back his head and neck upon his body, where I momentarily expected the former to fall limp at the end of a broken neck.

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My sounds seemed momentarily to disconcert the boar, and while he halted and shifted his weight with indecision, an apparition burst upon us.

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I remember--and tell it here because, singularly enough, I recollected it then--that once in looking carelessly out of an open window I momentarily mistook a small tree close at hand for one of a group of larger trees at a little distance away.

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At sight of her Smith-Oldwick halted, momentarily expecting that his presence would elicit screams for help from her.

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In his uneasiness Huck found himself drawing closer and closer to the alley; fearing all sorts of dreadful things, and momentarily expecting some catastrophe to happen that would take away his breath.

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At first, on sitting down to table, we had grown momentarily shy, with one of those sudden freaks of self-consciousness which occasionally surprise one, when, midway in some slightly unconventional situation to which the innocence of nature has led us, we realise it--"for an instant and no more."

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It was as if each man were suddenly and momentarily turned to fire.

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The latter, momentarily, paid no attention to them.

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Meriem, again bound and under heavy guard in Kovudoo's own hut, saw the night pass and the new day come without bringing the momentarily looked for return of Korak.

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The colourless clearness that comes after the sunset flush was darkling; the blue sky above grew momentarily deeper, and the little stars one by one pierced the attenuated light; the interspaces of the trees, the gaps in the further vegetation, that had been hazy blue in the daylight, grew black and mysterious.

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A single gleam of light in the path, come and gone like a flash, the gleam of an electric torch directed momentarily towards the road, was his first indication that they were near.

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In her own mind, she attributed it to a sudden change in the weather--it was momentarily becoming apparent that a storm was coming on.