A briefing is the information, or the short meeting, that you get before you have to do something. Someone who already knows the plan tells you what is going on, what you should do, and what to watch for. Then you go and do the job. You hear this word a lot at work, in the army, in the police, among pilots, and in the news. A boss might give the team a briefing before a big day. Someone who speaks for the government may hold a press briefing so reporters hear the official story. Soldiers get a briefing before a mission. The feeling is practical and a little official — not stiff like a law book, but not chatty either. The related verb is to brief: if someone briefs you, they give you that information. A briefing is the event, or the pack of information itself. People also stretch it: any quick “here is what you need to know” can be called a briefing, even if it is only five minutes in a corridor.