Momentarily can have two meanings: (1) in a moment, or (2) for a moment.
Examples:
- The food will be served momentarily.
- The meeting will adjourn momentarily.
Often the context will make it clear which meaning is intended (clearly food is not going to be served for just a moment), but sometimes the meaning can be ambiguous. In looking at the second example above, one might question whether the meeting will adjourn for a moment or in a moment. To avoid confusion, be sure that your intended meaning is clear from the context, or simply substitute momentarily with “in a moment” or “for a moment.”
Which meaning of momentarily do you use most often? Please share in the comments. (I always use momentarily when I mean “for a moment.”)
If you’re interested in the history of the usage of momentarily, see this post at Motivated Grammar: “In a Moment, for a Moment“.
Let’s clarify this. It’s only acceptable in the USA to mean ‘in’ a moment.
Momentarily is an adverb created from the word momentary, which means ‘for a moment’ not ‘in a moment’.
The other meaning began in the USA in the 1800s, so it has to be accepted based on usage of a misuse rather than any etymological logic.
It’s sounds terrible to most of us outside the US. ‘The plane will be taking off momentarily’ is quite a scary thought.
Brett, thanks for sharing your non-American perspective on the usage of momentarily. The “in a moment” usage sounds strange to me also (I never use the word in that context), though I have gotten used to hearing it over and over again.