momentarily

/ˈməʊməntrəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌməʊmənˈterəli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē/ (ame, mw)

momentarily — adverb

1. lasting only a brief moment before stopping or changing — used when describing a

1.副詞B2
釋義

lasting only a brief moment before stopping or changing — used when describing a pause, distraction, or change that does not last long.

例句

The lights flickered momentarily during the thunderstorm before coming back on.

verb + momentarily for brief duration

Yuki paused momentarily at the door to check her phone before stepping inside.

describes a short pause within an action

同義詞
  • briefly

    more neutral; works in any register

  • fleetingly

    literary; emphasises how quickly something passes

  • transiently

    formal; common in scientific or medical contexts

反義詞

文法句型

verb + momentarily

用法筆記

Common in passive constructions describing fleeting states (be momentarily distracted, be momentarily blinded). Verb-adjacent placement is typical; this sense is the dominant one in British English.

常見錯誤

❌I will arrive momentarily at the office.' (when meaning very soon, in British usage)
✅I will arrive shortly at the office.
💡in British English, 'momentarily' usually means 'for a brief moment', not 'very soon'.
❌She was momentarily for the whole meeting.
✅She was distracted momentarily during the meeting.
💡'momentarily' modifies a verb or adjective; it does not stand alone as a state.

2. in a very short time from now — chiefly American English, often used by flight c

2.副詞B2
釋義

in a very short time from now — chiefly American English, often used by flight crews, store staff, or service workers to mean an event is about to happen.

例句

The flight attendant announced that drinks would be served momentarily.

service-announcement register: 'will be ... momentarily'

Christopher told the customers that the manager would be with them momentarily.

common in customer-service speech

同義詞
  • shortly

    more widely accepted across English varieties

  • soon

    neutral; lacks the service-announcement flavour

  • presently

    formal; means 'in a little while'

反義詞

文法句型

will + verb + momentarily

用法筆記

Marked as American English; British speakers may misread this as sense 1 (briefly). Almost always paired with future-tense 'will' or 'would'. Distinguish from sense 1 by tense: future-tense + momentarily = this sense; past or present action + momentarily = sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The plane took off momentarily yesterday afternoon.' (when meaning very soon)
✅The plane will take off momentarily.
💡this sense needs a future-time frame; past tense forces the briefly reading.