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Definition immediately in British English

immediately adverb, conjunction

adverb, conjunction
/ɪˈmiːdiətli/

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 standing immediately next to me.Our team scored another goal almost immediately afterwards. (followed by an adjective): It was immediately obvious that there was some kind of problem.

as a conjunction (connecting two clauses) in British English: I’ll phone you immediately I hear any news.

1

very quickly and without delay

1.1

very quickly and without delay

Example

She decided to leave immediately.

Example

I did not immediately realize how serious the situation was.

Example

It was immediately apparent that something unpleasant had happened.

Synonyms and related words
1.2

used for showing that something happens just after something else, with no pause or delay

Example

Immediately he saw her, he fell in love with her.

Example

The press will be informed immediately the election result is known.

Synonyms and related words
2

just before or just after an event

Example

She was with Roosevelt immediately before his death.

Example

He joined the army immediately upon leaving school.

3

with no one or nothing between

Example

We could hear noises coming from the room immediately below us.

Example

Jenny's parents were sitting immediately in front of us.

4

most directly

Example

those officers who had been immediately involved in the investigation

Example

the areas immediately affected by the storms

Definition immediately in British English