briefs
briefs — noun
1. close-fitting underwear with short leg sections that reaches from the waist to t
close-fitting underwear with short leg sections that reaches from the waist to the upper thighs, worn by both men and women.
Folake bought three pairs of cotton briefs from the department store last week.
collocation: pair of briefs
The swimmer wore racing briefs instead of loose shorts for the competition.
racing briefs: type for sports
Eli prefers boxers over briefs because they feel less tight around his legs.
The store's sale on women's briefs ended last Friday, so Jessica waited for the next offer.
Salma folded her clean briefs and placed them neatly in the top drawer of her dresser.
- underpants
general term for men's underwear worn beneath trousers
- knickers
UK term for women's briefs or underpants in general
- panties
specifically refers to women's briefs
文法句型
plural
pair of + briefs
用法筆記
Usually used in the plural form. To refer to one item, say 'a pair of briefs' or simply 'briefs'.
常見錯誤
briefs — adjective
- briefspositive
- briefsercomparative
- briefsestsuperlative
1. continuing or existing for only a small amount of time before ending.
continuing or existing for only a small amount of time before ending.
Mateo made a brief stop at the grocery store on his way home from work.
collocation: brief stop
The president gave a brief speech at the opening ceremony of the new hospital.
collocation: brief speech
After a brief pause, Élise continued reading the letter to her grandmother.
A brief shower passed over the city in the morning, then the sun came out again.
The meeting was brief because the team had already agreed on all the main points.
文法句型
brief + noun
be + brief
用法筆記
Commonly modifies nouns like 'visit', 'meeting', 'stop', 'pause', 'period', 'moment', 'speech'.
常見錯誤
2. expressed in a small number of words by sticking to the important details and le
expressed in a small number of words by sticking to the important details and leaving out anything unnecessary.
The lawyer wrote a brief summary of the case for her client to read before the hearing.
collocation: brief summary
Please keep your comments brief so that everyone in the meeting has a chance to speak.
pattern: keep + [noun] + brief
The instruction manual was brief enough for Folake to read in just ten minutes.
Valentina gave a brief answer that covered all the key points of the question.
The news article was brief but it still contained all the important information for readers.
文法句型
be + brief
keep + object + brief
用法筆記
Describes speech, writing, or explanations that are short but still complete. The focus is on efficiency, not just brevity.
常見錯誤
3. speaking or answering in a very short manner that comes across as rude or unfrie
speaking or answering in a very short manner that comes across as rude or unfriendly to others.
The receptionist was brief with the customer and barely looked up from her computer.
pattern: brief with [person]
When Jessica asked about the delay, the manager gave her a brief reply and walked away.
Eli's brief response to his colleague's question made everyone in the room uncomfortable.
The teacher gave a brief answer when the student asked for help, then turned back to the board.
Valentina noticed that her boss had grown brief and distant ever since the budget cuts were announced.
文法句型
be + brief + with + person
用法筆記
Often carries a negative tone. A person who is 'brief' in this sense is not just short with words — they are intentionally short in a way that suggests annoyance or unfriendliness.
常見錯誤
briefs — verb
- briefspresent simple I / you / we / they
- briefses3rd person singular
- briefsing-ing form
- briefsedpast simple
1. to provide someone with the necessary information, explanations, or instructions
to provide someone with the necessary information, explanations, or instructions before they carry out a particular task or duty.
The manager briefed her team on the new safety rules before the morning shift started.
pattern: brief + [person] + on + [topic]
A senior officer briefed the soldiers about the planned mission at dawn the following day.
Before the debate, Jessica's coach briefed her on the key arguments she was likely to face.
The lawyer briefed her assistant on the documents needed for the court hearing next Tuesday.
Mateo was briefed by his supervisor on the changes to the company's hiring policy.
文法句型
brief + person + on/about + topic
brief + person
be briefed
用法筆記
Very common in professional settings such as law, military, business, and journalism. The person receiving the information is the direct object, followed by 'on' or 'about' and the topic.
常見錯誤
2. to prepare or write a shortened version of a longer text, document, or legal cas
to prepare or write a shortened version of a longer text, document, or legal case, keeping only the most important points.
The intern briefed the three-hundred-page report into a single page for the director to review.
pattern: brief + [document] + into + [shorter version]
Salma briefed the research findings so that her colleagues could read them quickly before the meeting.
Lukas briefed the client's complaint into a short memo for the legal team to review.
Before the board meeting, Eli briefly briefed the quarterly financial figures into bullet points.
The journalist briefed the mayor's long speech into a short paragraph for the morning edition.
文法句型
brief + document + into + shorter version
用法筆記
Less common than the 'instruct' sense. Used mainly in legal, academic, and formal writing contexts. The object is the document or text being shortened.