Tra từ brief - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

brief AW [brief briefs briefed briefing briefer briefest] adjective, noun, verb BrE [briːf] NAmE [briːf]
adjective (brief·er, brief·est)
1. lasting only a short time; short
•a brief visit/meeting/conversation
•a brief pause/silence
• Mozart's life was brief.
2. using few words
•a brief description/summary/account
• Please be brief (= say what you want to say quickly).
3. (of clothes)short and not covering much of the body
•a brief skirt
see also ↑brevity, ↑briefly

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French brief, from Latin brevis ‘short’. The noun is via late Latin breve ‘note, dispatch’, hence ‘an official letter’.

Thesaurus:
brief adj.
1.
•It was only a brief visit.
short • • quick • • momentary • • passing • • temporary • • short-lived • • hasty • • hurried • |written fleeting •
Opp: long
a brief/short/temporary stay
a brief/short/passing/fleeting moment
a brief/quick/momentary/passing glance/glimpse
Brief or short? Brief is used more frequently than short to describe a look, glance, glimpse, smile or sigh. Short is used to describe books, lists, projects, etc. that take only a short while to complete, and is used more often in informal and spoken English.
2.
•Please be brief.
short • • concise • • economical • |approving succinct • • pithy • |sometimes disapproving terse • |usually disapproving curt • • brusque •
Opp: long-winded
a brief/short/concise/succinct/terse/curt answer/statement
a brief/short/concise/succinct/terse summary/account
a brief/short/concise version
Brief or short? A mention is usually brief; an answer is more likely to be short. Brief is often used when talking about speech: ✗ Please be short.

Example Bank:
•Could you make it brief? I've got a meeting in ten minutes.
•I promised to be brief.
•The diary entries were tantalizingly brief.
•The wait was mercifully brief, little more than an hour.
•This necessarily brief account concentrates on two main areas.
•David gave me a brief summary of what was said at the meeting.
•He began with a brief introduction.
•Mozart's life was brief.
•Please be brief.
•Saunders's lawyer made a brief statement to the press outside the court.
•Sean gave a brief glance at the screen.
•The author makes only a brief mention of the role of Japan in this period.
•The leaflet provides a brief description of the changes to the benefits system.
•The prime minister is due to make a brief visit to South Korea.
•There was a brief silence after I made my announcement.
Idioms: ↑hold no brief for somebody ▪ ↑in brief

noun
see also ↑briefs
1. (BrE)the instructions that a person is given explaining what their job is and what their duties are
•It wasn't part of his brief to speak to the press.
•I was given the brief of reorganizing the department.
•to stick to your brief (= to only do what you are asked to do)
•to prepare/produce a brief for sb
2. (BrE, law)a legal case that is given to a lawyer to argue in court; a piece of work for a ↑barrister
•Will you accept this brief?
3. (NAmE, law)a written summary of the facts that support one side of a legal case, that will be presented to a court
4. (BrE, informal)a ↑solicitor or a defence lawyer
•I want to see my brief.
5. (especially NAmE) = ↑briefing (²)
•Officials are pushing for this target to be included in the next presidential brief.

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French brief, from Latin brevis ‘short’. The noun is via late Latin breve ‘note, dispatch’, hence ‘an official letter’.

Example Bank:
•He told me to stick to my brief.
•How the new policy is to be implemented is outside his brief.
•I hold no brief for either side in this conflict.
•It's not part of my brief to advise on financial matters.
•She makes all these points in her brief.
•We were given daily briefs by the commander.
•a technical brief on food hygiene

verb
1. to give sb information about sth so that they are prepared to deal with it
•~ sb I expect to be kept fully briefed at all times.
•~ sb on/about sth The officer briefed her on what to expect.
compare ↑debrief
2. ~ sb (to do sth) (BrE, law)to give a lawyer, especially a ↑barrister, the main facts of a legal case so that it can be argued in court
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French brief, from Latin brevis ‘short’. The noun is via late Latin breve ‘note, dispatch’, hence ‘an official letter’.

Example Bank:
•Each member of my crew took it in turn to brief me on his particular duties.
•The men have been fully briefed about the intended mission.