summarize

verb

sum·​ma·​rize ˈsə-mə-ˌrīz 

summarized; summarizing

transitive verb

: to tell in or reduce to a summary

intransitive verb

: to make a summary

summarizable

ˌsə-mə-ˈrī-zə-bəl 

adjective

summarizer noun

Synonyms of summarize

• outline
• digest

Examples of summarize in a Sentence

I would like to take a moment to summarize the facts that I presented earlier.

He summarized by saying we needed better planning and implementation.

To summarize, we need better schools.

Recent Examples on the Web

To summarize, physical AI governance is an extension of operational and safety governance, and the boards best positioned are ones that import high-reliability-organization oversight practices rather than scaling up their AI ethics frameworks. — Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026

The Downshift summarizes news items in a few sentences, with links to other sites to get the deeper story. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 9 July 2026

Given the monumental task of parsing through all of this information, Lenovo is relying heavily on AI to get the job done both for summarizing data and for coding the infrastructure of the entire operation. — Justyn Newman, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026

For musical theater historians, this shift could be summarized as a handoff from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim, whose postmodern cynicism and fractured narratives better match the tenor of the times. — Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for summarize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

summarize

verb

sum·​ma·​rize ˈsəm-ə-ˌrīz 

summarized; summarizing

1

: to tell in or reduce to a summary

2

: to make a summary

summarizable

ˌsəm-ə-ˈrī-zə-bəl 

adjective

summarizer noun