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# momentarily

adverb

«momentarily» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. For a very short time, only a moment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#m1)
2. (mainly US) Very soon, in a moment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in stories to show something lasting only a second or two: «she was momentarily blinded by the flash». In the USA it is also heard in announcements meaning «very soon»: «we will be landing momentarily». It tells the reader that the event was short, or that it will happen shortly.

### Examples

- The lights flickered and the room went momentarily dark. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x1)
- I was momentarily confused, then I remembered the answer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x2)
- The dog stopped momentarily to sniff the lamppost. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x3)
- The pilot said, «We will be landing momentarily.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x4)
- Ella was momentarily lost for words when she won the prize. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x5)
- The sun came out momentarily before the rain started again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x6)
- Your teacher will be with you momentarily. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/#x7)

### Note

It comes from «moment». A trap: in British English it usually means «for a moment», while in American English it often means «in a moment» (soon), so «the train will stop momentarily» can sound odd to a British listener. It is an adverb, so it describes a verb or adjective.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «momentarily» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/momentarily/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«momentarily» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/momentarily.html) on Mova free.