noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
brē′fĭng
Australian, Received-Pronunciation:/ˈbɹiː.fɪŋ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American, Scotland:/ˈbɹi.fɪŋ/
New-Zealand:/ˈbɹiː.fəŋ/
India:/ˈbɾiː.fiŋ/
rhymes with -iːfɪŋ
CMU ARPABET:B R IY1 F IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A concise summary of a current situation
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The president received a briefing on the situation before going to the press conference.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A meeting to share a concise summary of a current situation, especially in close preparation for an operation or undertaking.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Today's briefing of the press will take place at 10 o'clock.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
present participle and gerund of brief
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
detailed instructions, as for a military operation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: informing, making known
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mreǵh- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *mréǵhusder. Proto-Italic *breɣwis Latin brevisder. Old French briefbor. Old French brievebor. Middle English bref English brief English -ing English briefing From brief + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
43 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
բրիֆինգ
(brifing)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Armenian:
ճեպազրույց
(čepazruycʻ)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Azerbaijani:
brifinq
— short and concise summary of a situation
Belarusian:
брыфінг
(bryfinh)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Dutch:
briefing
— short and concise summary of a situation
Estonian:
briifing
— short and concise summary of a situation
Finnish:
yhteenveto
— short and concise summary of a situation
Finnish:
tiivistelmä
— short and concise summary of a situation
Finnish:
briiffaus
— short and concise summary of a situation
French:
revue de presse
— short and concise summary of a situation
Georgian:
ბრიფინგი
(bripingi)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Japanese:
ブリーフィング
(burīfingu)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Kazakh:
брифинг
(brifiñ)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Kazakh:
лезжиын
(lezjiyn)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Korean:
브리핑
(beuriping)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Latvian:
brīfings
— short and concise summary of a situation
Polish:
briefing
— short and concise summary of a situation
Portuguese:
resumo
— short and concise summary of a situation
Russian:
инструкта́ж
(instruktáž)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Russian:
бри́финг
(brífing)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Spanish:
informe
— short and concise summary of a situation
Swedish:
summering
— short and concise summary of a situation
Turkish:
brifing
— short and concise summary of a situation
Turkish:
brifingler
— short and concise summary of a situation
Ukrainian:
бри́фінг
(brýfinh)
— short and concise summary of a situation
Walloon:
brifigne
— short and concise summary of a situation
Chinese Cantonese:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Dutch:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
tiedotustilaisuus
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
tehtävänjako
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
käskynjako
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
selonteko
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
opastus
— presentation of information or instruction
Finnish:
ohjeistus
— presentation of information or instruction
French:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Hungarian:
eligazítás
— presentation of information or instruction
Italian:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Polish:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Portuguese:
briefing
— presentation of information or instruction
Spanish:
sesión informativa
— presentation of information or instruction
Spanish:
instrucciones
— presentation of information or instruction
Swedish:
informationsmöte
— presentation of information or instruction
Welsh:
briffio
— presentation of information or instruction