Standard Lemma guide

immediately

adv · conj · 6 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈmiː.di.ət.li/
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪˈmi.di.ɪt.li/
  • Canada, General-American: /əˈmi.di.ət.li/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • colloquial: /ɪˈmiː.d͡ʒət.li/
  • colloquial: /əˈmiː.d͡ʒət.li/
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M IY1 D IY2 AH0 T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In an immediate manner; instantly or without delay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I hope we can begin immediately.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Without any intervening time or space.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

conj

Meaning 3

As soon as, the moment that.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: once
  • My dog is an open book: immediately he smelled our dinner, he grew more interested in our activities.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: once

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he answered immediately
  • found an answer straightaway
  • an official accused of dishonesty should be suspended forthwith
  • Come here now!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: instantly, straightaway, straight off, directly, now, right away, at once, forthwith, like a shot

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

near or close by

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he passed immediately behind her

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adverb

Meaning 6

bearing an immediate relation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this immediately concerns your future

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English immediatly, equivalent to immediate + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

225 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: dadelik — in an immediate manner
  • Afrikaans: onmiddelik — in an immediate manner
  • Albanian: menjëherë — in an immediate manner
  • Albanian: përnjëherësh — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: فَوْرًا (fawran) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: حَالًا (ḥālan) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: مُبَاشَرَةً (mubāšaratan) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: حَالًا (ḥālan) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: قوام (ʔawām) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: مُبَاشَرَةً (mubashran) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: تـَوّاً َ (tawwan) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: عَلَطُول (ʕalaṭūl) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: قوام (ʔawām) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: طوالي (ṭawwāli) — in an immediate manner
  • Arabic: حالا (ḥālan) — in an immediate manner
  • Armenian: անմիջապես (anmiǰapes) — in an immediate manner
  • Azerbaijani: dərhal — in an immediate manner
  • Belarusian: неадкладна (njeadkladna) — in an immediate manner
  • Belarusian: зараз жа (zaraz ža) — in an immediate manner
  • Bulgarian: веднага (vednaga) — in an immediate manner
  • Bulgarian: незабавно (nezabavno) — in an immediate manner
  • Bulgarian: непосредствено (neposredstveno) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ချက်ချင်း (hkyakhkyang:) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ချက်ခနဲ (hkyakhka.nai:) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ဆောတလျင် (hcau:ta.lyang) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ဒက်ခနဲ (dakhka.nai:) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ဆောလျင်စွ (hcau:lyangcwa.) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ရက်ရက် (rak-rak) — in an immediate manner
  • Burmese: ရုတ်ခြည်း (ruthkrany:) — in an immediate manner
  • Catalan: immediatament — in an immediate manner
  • Cherokee: ᎲᎴᏊ (hvlequu) — in an immediate manner
  • Cheyenne: sé'ea'e — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese: 馬上 /马上 (zh-min-nan) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese: 即時 /即时 (zh-min-nan) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese: 連鞭 /连鞭 (zh-min-nan) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese: 隨時 /随时 (zh-min-nan) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 馬上 /马上 (mǎshàng) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 立刻 (lìkè) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 即刻 (jíkè) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 立即 (lìjí) — in an immediate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 直接 (zhíjiē) — in an immediate manner
  • Maore Comorian: kamwe — in an immediate manner
  • Crimean Tatar: deral — in an immediate manner
  • Crimean Tatar: tez — in an immediate manner
  • Crimean Tatar: çabik — in an immediate manner
  • Czech: ihned — in an immediate manner
  • Czech: hned — in an immediate manner
  • Czech: okamžitě — in an immediate manner
  • Danish: øjeblikkeligt — in an immediate manner
  • Danish: med det samme — in an immediate manner
  • Danish: nu — in an immediate manner
  • Danish: med det vuns — in an immediate manner
  • Dutch: meteen — in an immediate manner
  • Dutch: direct — in an immediate manner
  • Dutch: onmiddellijk — in an immediate manner
  • Esperanto: tuj — in an immediate manner
  • Esperanto: senprokraste — in an immediate manner
  • Finnish: heti — in an immediate manner
  • Finnish: välittömästi — in an immediate manner
  • French: immédiatement — in an immediate manner
  • French: tout de suite — in an immediate manner
  • French: aussitôt — in an immediate manner
  • Galician: inmediatamente — in an immediate manner
  • Galician: no intre — in an immediate manner
  • Galician: logo — in an immediate manner
  • Galician: decontado — in an immediate manner
  • Galician: deseguida — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: მყისიერად (mq̇isierad) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: ეგრევე (egreve) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: მაშინვე (mašinve) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: უმალვე (umalve) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: სასწრაფოდ (sasc̣rapod) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: გადაუდებლად (gadaudeblad) — in an immediate manner
  • Georgian: დაუყოვნებლივ (dauq̇ovnebliv) — in an immediate manner
  • German: sofort — in an immediate manner
  • German: alsbald — in an immediate manner
  • German: unverzüglich — in an immediate manner
  • German: auf der Stelle — in an immediate manner
  • German: umgehend — in an immediate manner
  • Greek: αμέσως (amésos) — in an immediate manner
  • Ancient Greek: εὐθύς (euthús) — in an immediate manner
  • Ancient Greek: εὐθέως (euthéōs) — in an immediate manner
  • Ancient Greek: αὐτίκα (autíka) — in an immediate manner
  • Ancient Greek: τὴν πρώτην (tḕn prṓtēn) — in an immediate manner
  • Hebrew: מִיָּד (miyád) — in an immediate manner
  • Hebrew: תֵּכֶף (téchef) — in an immediate manner
  • Hindi: तत्काल (tatkāl) — in an immediate manner
  • Hindi: तुरंत (turant) — in an immediate manner
  • Hindi: फ़ौरन (fauran) — in an immediate manner
  • Hungarian: azonnal — in an immediate manner
  • Hungarian: rögtön — in an immediate manner
  • Hungarian: nyomban — in an immediate manner
  • Hungarian: azon nyomban — in an immediate manner
  • Hungarian: máris — in an immediate manner
  • Icelandic: strax — in an immediate manner
  • Ido: quik — in an immediate manner
  • Ingrian: järkenää — in an immediate manner
  • Ingrian: hetin — in an immediate manner
  • Ingrian: järestää — in an immediate manner
  • Irish: láithreach bonn — in an immediate manner
  • Istriot: soûbito — in an immediate manner
  • Italian: immediatamente — in an immediate manner
  • Italian: subito — in an immediate manner
  • Italian: su due piedi — in an immediate manner
  • Japanese: 直ぐに (sugu ni) — in an immediate manner
  • Japanese: 直ちに (tadachi ni) — in an immediate manner
  • Japanese: 直接に (chokusetsu ni) — in an immediate manner
  • Korean: 즉시 (jeuksi) — in an immediate manner
  • Korean: 곧 (got) — in an immediate manner
  • Ladino: pishin — in an immediate manner
  • Ladino: devista — in an immediate manner
  • Ladino: en vista — in an immediate manner
  • Latgalian: tiuleņ — in an immediate manner
  • Latgalian: tiuļ — in an immediate manner
  • Latin: iūgiter — in an immediate manner
  • Latin: īlicō — in an immediate manner
  • Latin: statim — in an immediate manner
  • Latin: actūtum — in an immediate manner
  • Latvian: tūlīt — in an immediate manner
  • Limburgish: drek — in an immediate manner
  • Lithuanian: tuoj — in an immediate manner
  • Malay: serta-merta — in an immediate manner
  • Malayalam: പെട്ടെന്ന് (peṭṭennŭ) — in an immediate manner
  • Malayalam: ഉടനെ (uṭane) — in an immediate manner
  • Manchu: ᡩᠠᡥᠠᠨᡩᡠᡥᠠᡳ (dahanduhai) — in an immediate manner
  • Manchu: ᠰᡳᡵᠠᠨᡩᡠᡥᠠᡳ (siranduhai) — in an immediate manner
  • Manchu: ᠨᠠᠮᠠᡧᠠᠨ (namašan) — in an immediate manner
  • Māori: tangetange — in an immediate manner
  • Marathi: ताबडतोब (tābaḍtob) — in an immediate manner
  • Marathi: आत्ताच्या आत्ता (āttācyā āttā) — in an immediate manner
  • Muna: pago — in an immediate manner
  • Navajo: hah — in an immediate manner
  • Navajo: haneetehee — in an immediate manner
  • Navajo: tʼah kodą́ą́ʼ — in an immediate manner
  • Navajo: tʼáá áko — in an immediate manner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: øyeblikkelig — in an immediate manner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: med en gang — in an immediate manner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: umiddelbart — in an immediate manner
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: med éin gong — in an immediate manner
  • Old English: sōna — in an immediate manner
  • Old English: þǣrrihte — in an immediate manner
  • Persian: فوراً (fowran) — in an immediate manner
  • Persian: بلافاصله (belâfâsele) — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: zaraz — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: natychmiast — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: doraźnie — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: natychmiastowo — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: bezpośrednio — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: niezwłocznie — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: bezzwłocznie — in an immediate manner
  • Polish: w tym momencie — in an immediate manner
  • Portuguese: imediatamente — in an immediate manner
  • Quechua: kunallan — in an immediate manner
  • Romanian: imediat — in an immediate manner
  • Romanian: fără întârziere — in an immediate manner
  • Romanian: numaidecât — in an immediate manner
  • Romanian: de îndată — in an immediate manner
  • Romanian: îndată — in an immediate manner
  • Russian: неме́дленно (nemédlenno) — in an immediate manner
  • Russian: то́тчас (tótčas) — in an immediate manner
  • Russian: то́тчас же (tótčas že) — in an immediate manner
  • Russian: сию́ мину́ту (sijú minútu) — in an immediate manner
  • Sanskrit: सकृत् (sakṛt) — in an immediate manner
  • Sanskrit: झटुति (jhaṭuti) — in an immediate manner
  • Sanskrit: सपदि (sapadi) — in an immediate manner
  • Sanskrit: तत्क्षण (tatkṣaṇa) — in an immediate manner
  • Scottish Gaelic: anns a' bhad — in an immediate manner
  • Scottish Gaelic: sa bhad — in an immediate manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: odmah — in an immediate manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: smjesta — in an immediate manner
  • Slovene: takój — in an immediate manner
  • Lower Sorbian: ned — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: inmediatamente — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: de inmediato — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: ya — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: sin demora — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: enseguida — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: acto seguido — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: altiro — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: al toque — in an immediate manner
  • Spanish: dealtiro / dialtiro — in an immediate manner
  • Swahili: mara moja — in an immediate manner
  • Swahili: mara — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: ögonblickligen — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: på direkten — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: omedelbart — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: genast — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: omgående — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: ögonaböj — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: nu — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: med detsamma — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: på en gång — in an immediate manner
  • Swedish: med en gång — in an immediate manner
  • Telugu: తక్షణము (takṣaṇamu) — in an immediate manner
  • Thai: ทันที (tan-tii) — in an immediate manner
  • Thai: ทันทีทันใด — in an immediate manner
  • Tibetan: འཕྲལ་དུ ('phral du) — in an immediate manner
  • Tocharian B: teteka — in an immediate manner
  • Tokelauan: i te taimi nei lava — in an immediate manner
  • Turkish: anında — in an immediate manner
  • Turkish: derhal — in an immediate manner
  • Turkish: hemen — in an immediate manner
  • Ukrainian: за́раз (záraz) — in an immediate manner
  • Ukrainian: нега́йно (nehájno) — in an immediate manner
  • Urdu: فوراً (fauran) — in an immediate manner
  • Uyghur: دەرھال (derhal) — in an immediate manner
  • Venetan: sùito — in an immediate manner
  • Venetan: sùvito — in an immediate manner
  • Vietnamese: ngay — in an immediate manner
  • Vietnamese: ngay lập tức — in an immediate manner
  • Vietnamese: ngay tức khắc — in an immediate manner
  • Vietnamese: lập tức — in an immediate manner
  • Vietnamese: ngay tức thì — in an immediate manner
  • Volapük: sunädo — in an immediate manner
  • Welsh: heb oedi — in an immediate manner
  • Yiddish: תּיכּף (teykef) — in an immediate manner
  • Yoruba: lẹ́sẹ̀kẹ́sẹ̀ — in an immediate manner
  • Yoruba: lójijì — in an immediate manner
  • Zhuang: doq — in an immediate manner
  • Zhuang: sikhaek — in an immediate manner
  • Bulgarian: веднага след — right after
  • Khiamniungan Naga: thùokò — right after
Real reading context

immediately in complete knowledge articles