English

Adverb

momentarily ‎(not comparable)

1. In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
2. (US, proscribed) In a moment or very soon; at any moment.

   This plane will be landing at Idlewild Airport momentarily.‎

3. Progressively; moment by moment.

Usage notes

Many speakers object to the use of momentarily in the sense of “in a moment” rather than “for a moment”, since this is inconsistent with the meaning of momentary;^[1][2] nonetheless, this use is quite common in North America, and is particularly associated with airlines, such as “we will be landing momentarily”.^[3][1][2] In place of momentarily, many speakers prefer the terms presently, soon^[1][2] or the phrase “in a moment”,^[2] for this sense of “in a moment”.

Synonyms

• (in a moment): presently, shortly, soon
• (for a moment): briefly
• (moment by moment): progressively

Translations

References

1. 1 2 3 “Just a Moment”, by William Safire, New York Times, May 11, 1997
2. 1 2 3 4 I Stand Corrected: More on Language, by William Safire pp. 137–138
3. ↑ On language, by William Safire, 1980, p. 9