immediately

immediately
im•me•di•ate•ly
[[t]ɪˈmi di ɪt li[/t]] adv.
1) without lapse of time; at once
2) with no object or space intervening
3) closely:
immediately in the vicinity[/ex]
4) without intervening medium or agent
5) the moment that; as soon as
Etymology: 1375–1425 syn: immediately, instantly, directly, presently were once close synonyms, all denoting complete absence of delay or any lapse of time. immediately and instantly still almost always have that sense and usu. mean at once: He got up immediately. She responded instantly to the request. directly is usu. equivalent to soon, in a little while rather than at once: You go ahead, we'll join you directly. presently changes sense according to the tense of the verb with which it is used. With a present tense verb it usu. means now, at the present time: The author presently lives in San Francisco. She is presently working on a new novel. In some contexts, esp. those involving a contrast between the present and the near future, presently can mean soon or in a little while: She is at the office now but will be home presently.

From formal English to slang. 2014.

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Synonyms:

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  • Immediately — Im*me di*ate*ly, adv. 1. In an immediate manner; without intervention of any other person or thing; proximately; directly; opposed to {mediately}; as, immediately contiguous. [1913 Webster] God s acceptance of it either immediately by himself, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • immediately — has been used informally since the early 19c, especially in BrE, as a conjunction equivalent to immediately after: • I starting writing ‘Jill’ immediately I left Oxford Philip Larkin, 1983 • Immediately I heard the front door I switched off his… …   Modern English usage

  • immediately — index forthwith, instantly Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 immediately …   Law dictionary

  • immediately — [i mē′dē itlē] adv. in an immediate manner; specif., a) without intervening agency or cause; directly b) without delay; at once; instantly conj. Chiefly Brit. at the very moment that; as soon as [return immediately you are done] …   English World dictionary

  • immediately — (adv.) without intervening time or space, early 15c., from IMMEDIATE (Cf. immediate) + LY (Cf. ly) (2) …   Etymology dictionary

  • immediately — [adv] at once, right away anon, at short notice, away, directly, double time*, forthwith, hereupon, in a flash*, in a jiffy*, in a New York minute*, in nothing flat*, instantaneously, instanter, instantly, like now*, now, now or never*, on the… …   New thesaurus

  • immediately — ► ADVERB 1) at once. 2) very close in time, space, or relationship. ► CONJUNCTION chiefly Brit. ▪ as soon as …   English terms dictionary

  • immediately */*/*/ — UK [ɪˈmiːdɪətlɪ] / US [ɪˈmɪdɪətlɪ] adverb, conjunction Summary: Immediately can be used in the following ways: as an adverb (with a verb): I immediately recognized his voice. (followed by a preposition or another adverb): She s the woman who was… …   English dictionary

  • immediately — im|me|di|ate|ly1 W1S2 [ıˈmi:diətli] adv 1.) without delay = ↑at once ▪ Mix in the remaining ingredients and serve immediately. ▪ The telephone rang, and he answered it immediately. 2.) very soon before or after something immediately… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • immediately — [[t]ɪmi͟ːdiətli[/t]] ♦♦ 1) ADV: ADV with v If something happens immediately, it happens without any delay. He immediately flung himself to the floor... Ingrid answered Peter s letter immediately. Syn: at once 2) ADV: ADV adj If something is… …   English dictionary

  • immediately — im|me|di|ate|ly [ ı midiətli ] adverb *** 1. ) very quickly and without delay: AT ONCE: When she saw him come in, she decided to leave immediately. I did not immediately realize how serious the situation was. It was immediately apparent that… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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