summary

adjective

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

Definition of summary

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : comprehensive especially : covering the main points succinctly

2a : done without delay or formality : quickly executed a summary dismissal

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

summary

noun

sum·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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Choose the Right Synonym for summary

Adjective

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

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The president’s budget message, top priorities, and summary tables will come March 11. — Kate Davidson, WSJ, "Trump to Begin Releasing Fiscal 2020 Budget Plan on March 11," 4 Feb. 2019 The secretary of state’s office then certifies the official ballot title for the petition, which consists of the ballot summary language and the auditor’s summary of its fiscal impact. — Jason Hancock, kansascity, "To limit initiative petitions in Missouri, some want to charge fees | The Kansas City Star," 7 Feb. 2018 There is also summary information about the journal’s authors—tables group them by country and institution. — Matt Warren, Science | AAAS, "Firm that tallies controversial journal impact scores moves to provide more context," 27 June 2018 Missouri already has a Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Board within the Department of Health and Senior Services that collects data and issues summary reports on maternal deaths in the state. — Andy Marso, kansascity, "Missouri among worst nationally in maternal deaths. Reps say no to study on issue," 3 June 2018 Total loans and leases grew by almost 5 percent from the same period in 2017, to about $81.8 billion, according to the FDIC's summary report on Wisconsin banks. — Paul Gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin banks post strong first quarter, FDIC report shows," 22 May 2018 Under the bill, possession of a small amount of marijuana — 30 grams or less — would be a summary offense rather than a misdemeanor. — Christina Tatu, Philly.com, "Where marijuana has been decriminalized in Pa.," 9 May 2018 One special forces commander, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in seven summary mass executions in which 33 people were killed. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "Libyan Strongman’s Illness Stokes Fears of a Succession Feud," 19 Apr. 2018 Requests last fall by The Times for documents were answered only with summary data of recent complaints, 31 legislative investigations since 2006. — John Myers, latimes.com, "California Legislature discloses seven sexual misconduct investigations from 1990s and 2000s," 6 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This information is often available on the summary received from an accountant or tax preparation software. — Sarah Skidmore Sell, The Seattle Times, "I owe how much? Americans shocked by impact of new tax law," 20 Feb. 2019 The summary does not identify the reporters or the events in question. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "FBI official improperly accepted sports tickets from reporter, watchdog finds," 16 Oct. 2018 William Lyon agreed to the disclosure, a summary from the January 2005 council meeting shows. — Lily Altavena, azcentral, "Controversy in the air as Mesa homeowners decry neighboring asphalt plant’s odors," 11 July 2018 According to a public court summary viewed by the Free Press, Pettigrew was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, theft of services and public drunkenness. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Ex-Detroit Lion Brandon Pettigrew reportedly punches cop, arrested," 9 July 2018 During the regular season, Junior often makes do by following games via text summaries posted online that a device translates into Braille for him. — Sarah Dilorenzo, chicagotribune.com, "Brazil fan who is deaf and blind follows World Cup with help of interpreter and tactile signing," 2 July 2018 Some transcripts turned over so far have included unidentified and misidentified speakers, summaries instead of transcription and talks that were in person labeled as calls, according to a defense motion. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man accused of mass shooting plot in Milwaukee wins a sliver of freedom," 27 June 2018 The files open with a brief summary of what Collins found most interesting in the trove. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Facebook also let dating apps have further access to Graph API back in 2015," 5 Dec. 2018 But Jealous, who ultimately beat Baker for the nomination, released three years of tax returns a week before the primary, along with a summary of his tax filings from earlier years. — Steve Thompson, Washington Post, "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan releases tax returns showing $939K in income last year," 6 July 2018

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.