of short duration; not lasting for long

he made a brief visit to Paris to attend two concerts

(of a piece of clothing) not covering much of the body; scanty

a pair of extremely brief black shorts

a set of instructions given to a person about a job or task

his brief is to turn round the county's fortunes

a summary of the facts and legal points in a case given to a barrister to argue in court

a letter from the Pope to a person or community on a matter of discipline

instruct or inform (someone) thoroughly, especially in preparation for a task

she briefed him on last week's decisions

instruct (a barrister) by brief