briefs

1. 1
   nounplural

   A very short, close-fitting style of underwear worn under other clothes.

   The drawer was full of folded briefs and rolled socks.

   Many athletes wear briefs under their uniforms for extra support.

   Similarunderpants, pants, undies

   Note

   The word has no singular here. Like trousers, it is always briefs, and it takes a plural verb: my briefs are in the drawer. Dan Peek's Why Do They Dress That Way? (2008) says briefs for men and women were not popular in America until the 1930s. Paul Vautin's Turn It Up! (1995) shows the Australian footy briefs worn for football.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of brief.

   Opposing counsel exchanged briefs before the appellate hearing.

   The creative team reviewed the client briefs in their morning meeting.

   Note

   The ordinary count plural, with uses that cluster in law: written arguments counsel file with a court, memoranda of fact and law prepared for a case, writs, short papal letters. Unlike the underwear sense, it has a true singular (one brief, two briefs), so the verb sorts the meanings: briefs that are filed, exchanged or submitted are documents.

3. 3
   nounplural

   Close-fitting swimwear cut like underwear, worn for swimming and racing.

   The lifeguards changed into briefs before their pool shift.

   Competitive swimmers favor briefs because they reduce resistance in the water.

   Note

   Short for swim briefs, and the clipped form works only when the setting does the explaining. In Luis Algorri's You'll Hear From Me (2012) the narrator fetches his briefs and leaves the changing room, and the pool is understood. Anywhere else, say swim briefs, or readers will picture ordinary underwear.

4. 4
   nouneuphemisticplural

   An absorbent undergarment worn by adults to manage incontinence.

   The nursing staff kept a supply of briefs for incontinent patients.

   Her father needed briefs after the surgery left him bedridden.

   Similardiapers, nappies

   Note

   A euphemism doing tactful work. In healthcare and eldercare settings it lets staff and families avoid saying diaper about an adult. It borrows the neutral name of ordinary underwear, so the setting has to make the meaning plain. In a care home, briefs are absorbent. In a clothing store, they are not.

5. 5
   nouncolloquialAustraliaplural

   Men's low-cut, close-fitting underwear styled like the bottom half of a bikini.

   He chose briefs that cut lower on the hip than his usual pairs.

   The catalog featured men's briefs in a skimpy bikini cut.

   Note

   In informal Australian speech, briefs can mean the low bikini cut for men in particular, not just any close-fitting pair. Joe Tog's Aussie Prison Breaks (2012) has a narrator thrust a knife, handle down, into the back of his. Elsewhere, a speaker who means this cut says bikini briefs, because plain briefs reads as the general style.

6. 6
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of brief.

   The press officer briefs the cabinet before every announcement.

   Each evening the coordinator briefs the volunteers on the next day's plan.

   Note

   This present-tense verb goes with he, she or it: she briefs the minister every morning. Both verb meanings are transitive, so it needs an object, usually the person being informed. The topic often follows with on: briefs the team on the plan. The spelling is shared with the plural noun, so a lawyer who briefs the partners may also file briefs with the court.

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