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Glite Dictionary
jiffy

jiffy

17 7.2
A very short time, just a moment
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɪfi/
  • Informal
translation icon : instante
  • I could fix it in a jiffy if I had some oil.
  • back in a jiffy
  • ready in a jiffy
  • here in a jiffy

I will be back in a jiffy and we'll chat some more.

Examples

  • The waitress bustled back with my milkshake and promised the food would be out in a jiffy.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • We'll be ready in a jiffy.

    The Happening (2008)

  • I will be back in a jiffy and we'll chat some more.

    Tati

  • Be back in a jiffy.

    Tales from the Other Side (2022)

  • We'll be off to work in a jiffy.

    Anger Management (2003)

  • "I'll be back in a jiffy," she said.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • I'll get you home in a jiffy.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Everything's gonna be okay in a jiffy.

    Running Time (1997)

  • Dr. Grant, if you'd just sit tight, we'll explain this all in a jiffy.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I could fix it in a jiffy if I had some oil.

Synonyms

instant
vsjiffy
232 1.0

A very short moment that passes quickly

refers more broadly to any short moment rather than a point
just a minute
vsjiffy
198 1.0

Ask someone to wait for a very short time

functions as the neutral noun for a brief moment rather than a request
flash
vsjiffy
72 1.3

A very short time

means a short period but without the same sudden vividness
heartbeat
vsjiffy
  • Informal
72 3.7

A very short time

is a simple label for a brief moment not tied to rhythm
split second
vsjiffy
43 2.5

A very short moment when something happens

covers short moments in general, not only tiny fractions of time
blink of an eye
vsjiffy
  • Informal
35 2.8

A very short moment that passes almost instantly

is the plain term for a short time without the visual image
wink
vsjiffy
  • Informal
22 4.9

A very short time like a moment

is a general very short moment rather than extreme speed
jiff
vsjiffy
  • Informal
8 9.9

A very short time

is the neutral term for a short period rather than slangy usage
twinkling
vsjiffy
8 2.5

A very short moment of time

is the straightforward word for a short period without poetic tone
New York minute
vsjiffy
  • Informal
5 7.2

A very short moment when something happens

is the everyday neutral term for a short period rather than idiom
trice
vsjiffy
  • Informal
1 9.9

A very short time, like an instant

is the ordinary word for a brief moment without urgency

Antonyms

age
332 7.7

A very long time

eternity
224 5.8

Time that never ends, often imagined after death

How Short

instant
232 1.0
jiffy
  • Informal
17 7.2
moment
∞ 1.0
second
  • Specialized
∞ 1.0
while
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

jiffy singular
jiffies plural

Etymology

Jiffy has an uncertain origin, but people have long used it to mean a very short time. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a small, quick jiff—like a blink—so if someone says they'll be back in a jiffy, they mean 'very soon'.