I. brief 1 S2 W2 AC /briːf/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ briefly ; adjective : ↑ brief ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin brevis ]
1 . continuing for a short time ⇨ brevity :
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 ⇨ brevity :
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 that are brief are short and cover only a small area of your body:
a very brief bikini
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ a brief period/time
He lived there all his life, apart from a brief period during the war.
▪ a brief spell (=time)
For a brief spell in early summer it is the most beautiful of all the trees.
▪ a brief moment
The old lady’s gaze rested on her for a brief moment.
▪ a brief visit
The President flew to Argentina for a brief visit.
▪ a brief look
He gave her a brief look.
▪ a brief glimpse (=a sight of something that lasts for a short time)
From the train I had a brief glimpse of the city.
▪ a brief pause
There was a brief pause before he replied.
▪ a brief silence
After a brief silence, she made another suggestion.
▪ a brief appearance
He made a brief appearance before reporters outside his Manhattan townhouse.
II. brief 2 AC BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . [usually singular] official instructions that explain what someone’s job is, what their duties are etc:
The architect’s brief is to design an extension that is modern but blends with the rest of the building.
2 . law a short spoken or written statement giving facts about a law case:
The ACLU filed a brief (=gave one to the court) opposing the decision.
3 . British English law a law case that a lawyer will argue in a court
4 . a short report about something
5 . in brief
a) in as few words as possible:
We should, in brief, invest heavily in digital systems.
b) without any details:
Here again are today’s headlines in brief.
6 . briefs [plural] men’s or women’s underwear worn on the lower part of the body
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ lawyer someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements, or represent people in court:
His lawyer told him to plead guilty.
▪ attorney American English a lawyer. Attorney sounds more formal than lawyer :
‘The United States sees intellectual property rights as sacred,’ said Thomas Klitgaard, an attorney specializing in international law.
|
Acting on the advice of his attorney, he remained silent throughout the questioning.
▪ solicitor a type of lawyer in Britain who gives legal advice, prepares the documents when property is bought or sold, and defends people, especially in the lower courts of law:
She works as a commercial property solicitor at Nabarro Nathanson in London.
|
He went to the family solicitor to make a will.
▪ barrister a lawyer in Britain who can argue cases in the higher law courts:
McWalter's barrister, Hugh Vass, stressed his client’s previous good character.
▪ advocate formal a formal word for a lawyer in American English, or a barrister in Scotland:
The committee can put questions to the defendant or his advocate.
▪ brief British English informal the lawyer who represents someone in a court case:
His brief asked for a fine rather than a prison sentence.
▪ counsel [uncountable] the lawyer or group of lawyers who are representing someone in court:
counsel for the defence/prosecution
III. brief 3 AC BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to give someone all the information about a situation that they will need ⇨ briefing
brief somebody on something
The president has been fully briefed on the current situation in Haiti.
⇨ ↑ debrief
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ tell to give someone information by speaking or writing to them:
She wrote to tell me she was getting married.
|
Can you tell us where the nearest garage is?
▪ let somebody know especially spoken to tell someone something when you know more about it:
Let me know your new address as soon as you can.
|
Let us know what happens at the interview.
▪ pass a message on to somebody ( also pass it on informal ) to tell another person the information that has been told to you:
She’s with a client at the moment, but I’ll pass the message on to her.
|
If I get any news, I’ll pass it on.
▪ brief to give someone all the necessary information about a situation, so that they can do their work:
Police officers were briefed before going out to arrest the suspects.
▪ relate formal to tell someone about something that happened to you or to someone else:
One girl related a story about a friend who had accidentally become pregnant.
▪ recount formal to tell someone about a series of events:
The guide recounted the history of the castle, from the 1300s onwards.
▪ bring something to sb’s attention to tell someone about something that they did not know about, but which they need to know about:
I wanted to bring the matter to your attention.
|
She was the first person to study the effects of pesticides, and to bring them to people’s attention.
▪ fill somebody in informal to tell someone about things that have happened recently, especially at work:
Can you fill Robert in on the progress we’ve made while he’s been on holiday?