Standard Lemma guide

briefing

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