If something happens shortly after or before something else, it happens not long after or before it. If something is going to happen shortly, it is going to happen soon. Their trial will shortly begin.

How do you use shortly after?

It's difficult to see shortly after in a sentence . He said police came shortly after being called by Garden security. State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters shortly after the meeting. The woman was so ill that she died shortly after landing.

Does shortly mean soon?

Soon, shortly, and momentarily have similar meanings. Soon and shortly are almost synonymous; soon is slightly less specific and shortly implies the immediate future: I hope to get my driver's license soon. We will be arriving shortly.