summary

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adjective sum·ma·ry \ ˈsə-mə-rē also ˈsəm-rē or -ˌmer-ē \

Definition of summary

1 :comprehensive; especially :covering the main points succinctly

2 a :done without delay or formality :quickly executed

a summary dismissal

b :of, relating to, or using a summary proceeding

a summary trial

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summarily

play \(ˌ)sə-ˈmer-ə-lē\ adverb

See summary defined for English-language learners

See summary defined for kids

Examples of summary in a Sentence

a summary account of the accident
obviously a one-volume encyclopedia can offer only a very summary account of the American Civil War

Recent Examples of summary from the Web

A judge granted Novae summary judgment, and Hendricks appealed.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Billionaire Diane Hendricks loses fight to sue on insurance settlement," 24 Aug. 2017
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Yolanda Tanner issued decisions Friday denying the requests for summary judgment from both parties.

— sarah meehan, baltimoresun.com, "Food truck owners will head to trial to challenge city's '300-foot rule'," 14 Aug. 2017
Wilbur Slockish and Johnny Jackson, the Hereditary Chiefs of the Klickitat and Cascade Tribes of the Yakama Nation respectively, filed a motion for summary judgment in U.S. District Court Monday.

— andrew theen, OregonLive.com, "Tribal members 'seek justice' for sacred site leveled to widen U.S. 26," 11 Aug. 2017
Taken together, Tucker argued that the judge should not have been able to rule on summary judgment in the FTC’s favor.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "Leawood payday lender Scott Tucker files appeal to overturn $1.26 billion fine," 24 July 2017
Ticketmaster has requested summary judgment in the case, hoping federal Judge Dale Fischer will dismiss part the suit at an Aug. 7, 1:30 p.m. hearing in United States District Court's Central District of California.

— dave brooks, Billboard, "Songkick's Legal Showdown With Ticketmaster Looms, Following Asset Sell-Off," 19 July 2017
In a ruling filed Tuesday, U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel granted the Labor Department’s motion for summary judgment asking for new elections, saying Local 689 had failed to dispute the allegations against it.

— faiz siddiqui, Washington Post, "Federal judge orders Metro union to hold new officer elections after allegations of misconduct," 19 July 2017
The government’s motion for summary judgment was argued in February 2017.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Judge denies DOJ effort to halt Twitter lawsuit over national security orders," 6 July 2017
The trial court issued an order granting summary judgment to the neighbors and denying the Neuschwanders’ summary judgment motion.

— jack greiner, Cincinnati.com, "Neighborhood squabble could have bigger implications," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'summary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of summary

Middle English, from Medieval Latin summarius, from Latin summa sum

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

summary Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of summary

concise, terse, succinct, laconic, summary, pithy, compendious mean very brief in statement or expression. concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.

- a concise description

terse implies pointed conciseness.

- a terse reply

succinct implies the greatest possible compression.

- a succinct letter of resignation

laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.

- an aloof and laconic stranger

summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.

- a summary listing of the year's main events

pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.

- a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners

compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.

- a compendious dictionary

summary

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noun sum·ma·ry \ ˈsə-mə-rē also ˈsəm-rē \

Definition of summary

plural summaries

:an abstract, abridgment, or compendium especially of a preceding discourse

See summary defined for English-language learners

Examples of summary in a Sentence

He concluded the report with a brief summary.
They gave a summary of their progress in building the bridge.

Recent Examples of summary from the Web

The assessments result in a summary essentially that helps athletic performance and injury prevention. •

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Inside Xavier basketball's summer workouts," 16 Aug. 2017
In summary, this is a form of population control by certain business cartels in league with cultural Marxists/corporatists/lslamists who will leverage Islamic terrorism threats to justify the creation of a police state.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "White House Officials Say a Cabal of Islamists, Marxists, and Bankers Is at War With Trump," 11 Aug. 2017
In summary, Ivanka continues to do nothing for women but profit off of their ambitions and pretend to be their voice in the White House.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "Ivanka Trump Is a Fake Feminist, Which Makes Her Father Proud," 10 Aug. 2017
In summary, that’s four categories of expenses to think about: medical care, medicine, storage, and IVF.

— charlotte cowles, The Cut, "Is Freezing My Eggs Worth the Cost?," 10 Aug. 2017
In summary: The individual-health-insurance market is shrinking, with the unsubsidized market shrinking 29 percent in the last year.

— robert laszewski, National Review, "Is Part of the Health-Insurance Market Entering a Death Spiral?," 3 Aug. 2017
In summary: Taking race into account is okay when considered alongside many other criteria, because diversity in schools has educational benefits.

— nicole lewis, Washington Post, "The Justice Department wants to sue schools over affirmative action policies, but can it do that?," 2 Aug. 2017
The transcriptome project has resulted in more than 50 papers, with the overall summary publication still to come.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "Plant scientists plan massive effort to sequence 10,000 genomes," 27 July 2017
Here’s the FBI summary of her crimes: Joanne Chesimard is wanted for escaping from prison in Clinton, New Jersey, while serving a life sentence for murder.

— david french, National Review, "Media, Tell the Truth: The Women’s March and Black Lives Matter Embrace Terrorists," 19 July 2017

First Known Use of summary

1509

summary Synonyms

Synonyms

abstract, breviary, brief, capsule, conspectus, digest, encapsulation, epitome, inventory, outline, précis, recap, recapitulation, résumé (or resume also resumé), roundup, rundown, run-through, sum, summa, summarization, summing-up, sum-up, synopsis, wrap-up

Related Words

abbreviation, abridgment (or abridgement), compend, compendium, condensation, curtailment, shortening; simplification, streamlining; rehash, reprise; conclusion, epilogue (also epilog)

Near Antonyms

amplification, enlargement, expansion; addendum, supplement

SUMMARY Defined for English Language Learners

summary

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adjective

Definition of summary for English Language Learners

: using few words to give the most important information about something
: done quickly in a way that does not follow the normal process

summary

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noun

Definition of summary for English Language Learners

: a brief statement that gives the most important information about something

SUMMARY Defined for Kids

summary

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adjective sum·ma·ry \ ˈsə-mə-rē \

Definition of summary for Students

1 :expressing or covering the main points briefly :concise

a summary account

2 :done without delay

summary punishment

summary

noun

Definition of summary for Students

plural summaries

:a short statement of the main points (as in a book or report)

Law Dictionary

summary

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adjective sum·ma·ry \ ˈsə-mə-rē \

legal Definition of summary

:done immediately, concisely, and without usual formal procedures; especially :used in or done by summary proceeding — compare plenary

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summarily

play \sə-ˈmer-ə-lē\ adverb

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summary

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