1. A concise written summary or report. This is most common in legal contexts, where a "brief" is a document prepared by a lawyer that outlines the arguments and legal precedents for their client's case.
2. A short period of time. This usage is less frequent and often seen in phrases like "a brief moment" or "a brief respite."
Here are some examples:
* "The lawyer presented a compelling brief to the judge." (Legal context)
* "We only had a brief moment to talk before she had to leave." (Short time)
It's important to note that "brief" is more commonly used as an adjective meaning "short" or "concise." For example, "I gave a brief presentation."