immediately

immediately
/i mee"dee it lee/, adv.
1. without lapse of time; without delay; instantly; at once: Please telephone him immediately.
2. with no object or space intervening.
3. closely: immediately in the vicinity.
4. without intervening medium or agent; concerning or affecting directly.
5. Chiefly Brit. the moment that; as soon as.
[1375-1425; late ME; see IMMEDIATE, -LY]
Syn. 1. instantaneously, forthwith. 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 usually mean at once: He got up immediately. She responded instantly to the request. DIRECTLY is usually 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 usually means now, at the present time: The author presently lives in San Francisco. She is presently working on a new novel. In some contexts, especially 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.
Ant. 1. later.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • 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

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  • 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

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