- (British English) 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 somebody
Extra Examples- They told me to stick to my brief.
- How the new policy is to be implemented is outside his brief.
- It's not part of my brief to advise on financial matters.
- She makes all these points in her brief.
- a technical brief on food hygiene
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- detailed
- thorough
- …
- prepare
- produce
- write
- …
- in a/the brief
- outside somebody’s brief
- brief on
- …
- be part of somebody’s brief
- hold no brief for somebody/something
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- (British English, 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?
- (North American English, law) a written summary of the facts that support one side of a legal case that will be presented to a court
- (British English, informal) a solicitor or a defence lawyer
- I want to see my brief.
- (especially North American English) (also briefing British and North American English)[countable, uncountable] the detailed instructions or information that are given to people in a meeting that has been called in order to give these instructions
- Officials are pushing for this target to be included in the next presidential brief.
- We were given daily briefs by the commander.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French brief, from Latin brevis ‘short’. The noun is via late Latin breve ‘note, dispatch’, hence ‘an official letter’.
Idioms
See brief in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee brief in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishhold no brief for somebody/something
- (formal) to not support or be in favour of somebody/something
- I hold no brief for either side in this war.
Check pronunciation:
brief