I. im ‧ me ‧ di ‧ ate ‧ ly 1 S2 W1 /ɪˈmiːdiətli/ BrE AmE adverb
1 . without delay SYN at once :
Mix in the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
The telephone rang, and he answered it immediately.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say right away or, in British English, straight away rather than immediately :
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Yes, I’ll do it right away.
2 . very soon before or after something
immediately after/following something
He retired immediately after the end of the war.
immediately before/preceding something
I can’t remember what happened immediately before the crash.
3 . immediately obvious/apparent able to be seen or understood very easily:
The solution to this problem is not immediately obvious.
4 . [+ adjective/adverb] very near to something
immediately behind/above/below/in front of etc something
the seat immediately behind the driver
5 . immediately involved/affected/concerned etc very closely involved etc in a particular situation:
Those most immediately involved in the disaster will be given support.
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THESAURUS
▪ immediately very soon after something else happens, and without any delay:
Sam immediately offered to help.
▪ at once immediately – used especially for emphasis:
Remove the pie from the oven and serve at once.
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He came home at once when he heard his wife was ill.
▪ right away ( also straightaway British English ) especially spoken immediately, especially because something is urgent. Right away and straight away are less formal than immediately , and are very common in everyday spoken English:
If this happens, let us know right away.
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I apologized straightaway.
▪ instantly if something happens instantly, it happens immediately after something else, with almost no time between:
The boy was killed instantly.
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The message is sent instantly from your computer.
▪ right now/this minute spoken if someone orders you to do something right now, they want you to do it immediately, especially because they are annoyed with you:
The head teacher wants to see you right now.
▪ without delay immediately, because it is important that you do something as soon as possible:
If you lose your passport, you should contact the embassy without delay.
II. immediately 2 BrE AmE conjunction British English formal
as soon as:
Immediately you begin to speak, he gives you his full attention.