immediately
- 01 A2 Elementary
adv.right now or without any delay.
adv.occurring at once; without any intervening period of time.
Simple“If you see a fire, you must leave the building immediately.”
In context“The emergency services responded immediately to the call, arriving at the scene within minutes of the initial report.”
UsageUsually placed at the end of a clause or directly before the verb it modifies.
PitfallI will do it immediate. I will do it immediately.Use the adverb form 'immediately' to describe how or when an action is done.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.right next to something in space or following it exactly in a list.
adv.without any intervening space or position; in direct contact or sequence.
Simple“The bathroom is immediately to the left of the bedroom door.”
In context“The period immediately following the revolution was marked by significant social upheaval and rapid legislative reform.”
UsageOften used with prepositions like 'after', 'before', 'above', or 'below'.
- 03 C1 Advanced
conj.used to say that one thing happens at the same time as another.
conj.used as a subordinating conjunction to indicate that the action in the main clause occurs at the same moment as the action in the subordinate clause.
Simple“Immediately he saw her, he knew something was wrong.”
In context“Immediately the results were announced, the candidate began preparing her acceptance speech for the evening gala.”
Teacher's tipThis conjunctive use is more common in British English; American speakers typically prefer 'as soon as' or 'the moment'.
Synonymsthe momentas soon as
Usage immediately respond · immediately occur · immediately recognise
From Middle English immediatly, equivalent to immediate + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.