Legal Definitions - immediately

Definition: Immediately is an adverb that means something should be done at once or without delay. In legal terms, it means "as soon as can be done" without any excuses.

• When the fire alarm goes off, you should immediately evacuate the building.
• The doctor said I need to start taking my medication immediately.
• The court ordered the company to pay the fine immediately.

The first two examples illustrate the general meaning of immediately, which is to do something without delay. In the third example, immediately is used in a legal context to mean that the company must pay the fine as soon as possible without any excuses.