immediately
/ɪˈmiːdɪətli
/adverb
1At once; instantly: I rang immediately for an ambulance...
- I scraped once and immediately a frog sounded once from beneath the porch.
- On his return, he joined Shackleton and immediately set sail once more for the Antarctic.
- Once inside, I immediately fall in with four London guys who are also staying in our hotel.
Synonyms
straight away, at once, right away, right now, instantly, now, directly, promptly, forthwith, this/that (very) minute, this/that instant, there and then, here and now, in a flash, without delay, without hesitation, without further ado, post-haste;
quickly, as fast as possible, fast, speedily, with all speed, as soon as possible, a.s.a.p.;
French tout de suite
informal before you can say Jack Robinson, pronto, double quick, in double quick time, p.d.q. (pretty damn quick), toot sweet
Indian informal ekdam
archaic straightway, instanter, forthright
2Without any intervening time or space: she was sitting immediately behind me...
- Anyway, the place to see and be seen at the Masters is under the big oak tree that sits immediately behind the clubhouse.
- It was hit when the car immediately behind shunted into his vehicle after it was banged from behind by a third motorist.
- He was unaware that he was upside down and thought he was in the corridor immediately behind the coal train's cab.
2.1In direct or very close relation: they would be the states most immediately affected by any such action...
- They are released in the area immediately affected by the subject's behaviour.
Synonyms
directly, right, exactly, precisely, squarely, just, dead;
close, closely, at close quarters
informal slap bang
North American informal smack dab
conjunction chiefly British
As soon as: let me know immediately she arrives