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sum·ma·ry | \ ˈsə-mə-rē also ˈsəm-rē or -ˌmer-ē 
\
\Definition of summary
(Entry 1 of 2)
2a : done without delay or formality : quickly executed
a summary dismissal
b : of, relating to, or using a summary proceeding
a summary trial
summary
nounsum·ma·ry | \ ˈsə-mə-rē also ˈsəm-rē \
\ plural summaries
Definition of summary (Entry 2 of 2)
: an abstract, abridgment, or compendium especially of a preceding discourse
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Other Words from summary
Adjective
summarily \ (ˌ)sə-ˈmer-ə-lē \ adverb
\ adverbSynonyms & Antonyms for summary
Synonyms: Adjective
- aphoristic,
- apothegmatic,
- brief,
- capsule,
- compact,
- compendious,
- concise,
- crisp,
- curt,
- elliptical
- (or elliptic),
- epigrammatic,
- laconic,
- monosyllabic,
- pithy,
- sententious,
- succinct,
- telegraphic,
- terse,
- thumbnail
Synonyms: Noun
- 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
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of summary in a Sentence
Adjective
a summary account of the accident
obviously a one-volume encyclopedia can offer only a very summary account of the American Civil War Noun
He concluded the report with a brief summary.
They gave a summary of their progress in building the bridge.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The finding followed two separate internal affairs inquiries, according to the board’s summary report.
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oregonlive, "Former Portland detective racked up nearly 100,000 miles on his take-home police car in 3 years," 3 Jan. 2020 Their activities range from retailing smuggled cigarettes to providing cable TV, electricity or transport service, and are also known to extort businesses and carry out summary executions.
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Washington Post, "Number of shootings down in Rio de Janeiro, report says," 2 Jan. 2020 State finance officials said anyone can read those summary documents and raise questions themselves.
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Jason Pohl, ProPublica, "California Gave Billions in Taxpayer Dollars to Improve Jails. But That’s Not How These Sheriffs Are Spending It.," 28 Dec. 2019 The State Department also barred entry to two Paraguayan officials for corruption and a Russian official US officials have accused of presiding over the summary execution of 27 men in Chechnya.
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BostonGlobe.com, "The State Department on Tuesday barred a Saudi diplomat from entering the United States, citing his involvement in ‘‘gross violations of human rights’’ in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi last year.," 11 Dec. 2019 Think about these questions and formulate your responses into a solid qualifications summary to open your resume.
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Dear Sam | Expert Resume, al, "Leave hiring managers feeling ‘full’ and ‘satisfied’ after reviewing your resume," 22 Nov. 2019 Some members of the office were particularly disappointed that Barr did not release summary information the special counsel team had prepared, according to two people familiar with their reactions.
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The Washington Post, oregonlive, "Mueller report ’much more acute’ than Barr summary, team members say," 4 Apr. 2019 Newman was given a summary citation, also known as summary harassment, which usually results in nothing but a fine, Broadwater said.
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Allen Kim, CNN, "Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo charged with assault in domestic dispute," 21 Oct. 2019 The board reviews summary inspection reports in closed-door sessions.
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oregonlive, "State inspections of funeral homes fall short in Oregon," 15 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Tranquilli, who was temporarily reassigned to summary appeals on Tuesday, is now barred from hearing any cases, a court order issued by President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark says, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Mahita Gajanan, Time, "Accused of Calling a Black Juror 'Aunt Jemima,' Pennsylvania Judge Barred From Cases," 7 Feb. 2020 Gregory Miller, cofounder of the Open Source Election Technology Institute, has the best summary of the whole debacle.
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Robert Hackett, Fortune, "The Iowa caucus debacle is great for America’s disinformation-peddling adversaries," 5 Feb. 2020 But in their court filing, Madoff's lawyers included a letter from Ken Hyle, the Assistant Director of the Bureau's General Counsel's office, in which Hyle acknowledges Madoff's illness as detailed in a medical summary.
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Victoria Albert, CBS News, "Bernie Madoff files for compassionate release due to end-stage renal disease," 5 Feb. 2020 On the other side of the spectrum, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City released extensive information, including timelines of the abuse reports and summaries of internal clergy files.
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Lexi Churchill, ProPublica, "How to Use Our Database to Report on Accused Priests in Your Area," 3 Feb. 2020 Of the nearly 100 comments perused in a 38-page summary provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive, 74 were negative.
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oregonlive, "TriMet turns off flashing bus lights after some deem them ‘intense,’ ‘disturbing,’ and maybe seizure-inducing," 31 Jan. 2020 The tool provides a full summary of which sites and apps Facebook has tracked you on, plus all of the information Zuckerberg and co. have gathered on you to serve ads.
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Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "How to Kill Off Those Ultra-Personalized Facebook Ads," 29 Jan. 2020 One of the pithiest summaries of Prohibition came earlier — a scathing assessment from journalist H.L. Mencken in 1925.
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David Crary, Anchorage Daily News, "Prohibition began 100 years ago, and its legacy remains," 15 Jan. 2020 The plot of the first Frozen is an obvious palimpsest of script drafts with a nonsensical heel turn at the end, sufficiently ridiculous to be mocked via summary by the snowman Olaf in one of the sequel’s few genuinely funny sequences.
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Ross Douthat, National Review, "Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Return of the Disney Juggernauts," 9 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for summary
summary
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of summary
(Entry 1 of 2)
: using few words to give the most important information about something
formal : done quickly in a way that does not follow the normal process
summary
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of summary (Entry 2 of 2)
: a brief statement that gives the most important information about something
See the full definition for summary in the English Language Learners Dictionary
summary
adjectivesum·ma·ry | \ ˈsə-mə-rē \
\Kids Definition of summary
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : expressing or covering the main points briefly : concise a summary account
2 : done without delay
summary punishment
summary
noun plural summaries
Kids Definition of summary (Entry 2 of 2)
: a short statement of the main points (as in a book or report)
summary
adjectivesum·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
Other Words from summary
summarily \ sə-ˈmer-ə-lē \ adverb
\ adverbKeep scrolling for more
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Time Traveler for summary
The first known use of summary was in the 15th century
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