momentarily

adverb

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ly ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē How to pronounce momentarily (audio)
Synonyms of momentarilynext
1
: for a moment
The rain stopped momentarily.
2
archaic : instantly
3
: at any moment : in a moment
The show will start momentarily.

Synonyms of momentarily

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of momentarily in a Sentence

The wind let up momentarily, allowing us to start a campfire. He paused momentarily before finishing his speech. We expect them to arrive momentarily.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So Bill Plaschke has momentarily stopped playing psychic and has morphed into general manager, saying the Dodgers should either force Shohei Ohtani to stop pitching or trade him. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Crutzen’s plea left the audience of scientists momentarily agape. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Thanks to his involvement with that successful restoration, Kermode had momentarily bought himself some industry clout. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026 The Italian singing teacher, with whom Natasha has been momentarily infatuated, would certainly be a figure moving in the same Moscow circles as Field and his wife. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for momentarily

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of momentarily was in 1655

Rhymes for momentarily

See All Rhymes for momentarily

Browse Nearby Words

momentany
momentarily
momentariness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Momentarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentarily. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

momentarily

adverb
mo·​men·​tari·​ly
ˌmō-mən-ˈter-ə-lē
1
: for a moment
the pain eased momentarily
2
archaic : instantly
3
: at any moment
we expect them momentarily
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All