summer

noun sum·mer \ ˈsə-mər \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of summer

1 : the season between spring and autumn comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of June, July, and August or as reckoned astronomically extending from the June solstice to the September equinox

2 : the warmer half of the year

3 : year

a girl of seventeen summers

4 : a period of maturing powers

—

summerlike

play \ˈsə-mər-ˌlīk\ adjective

See summer defined for English-language learners

See summer defined for kids

Examples of summer in a Sentence

What are your plans for this summer?
We visited them two summers ago.
the first day of summer

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

The bike path where Saipov ran down tourists borders a park that fringes the Hudson for miles, filled with runners in the morning, office workers at lunch time and free yoga classes on summer evenings.

— Washington Post, "9/11 neighborhood shaken by truck attack fears it’s targeted," 2 Nov. 2017
New School students, faculty and staff, and children enrolled in a free summer program at the Miccio Center in Red Hook, were invited to grow them from seeds.

— written by annie correal; photographs by karsten moran, New York Times, "A Seed Artist Germinates History," 31 Oct. 2017
The complaint was filed in July and stemmed, in part, from a controversial summer reading list produced by an AP Government teacher that was filled with works by various conservative political heroes and right-wing firebrands.

— john sharp, AL.com, "'It was terrible': Spanish Fort high school students protest racist and vulgar video," 30 Oct. 2017
Explore its historic orangery and Russian Garden before heading inside to learn about the ducal summer residence.

— Smithsonian, "Discover more of Thuringia’s rich heritage.," 30 Oct. 2017
Pluto spends its time far from the sun, where temperatures hover around minus 391 degrees Fahrenheit; Ceres is much closer and can heat up to minus 37 F (warmer than summers at Antarctica’s Vostok station).

— nola taylor redd, Discover Magazine, "Pluto and Ceres: Long Lost Twins?," 10 Nov. 2017
Councilwoman Helen Gym started the calls for the statue to come down from the Thomas Paine Plaza in Center City over the summer.

— CBS News, "Philadelphia statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo to be relocated," 4 Nov. 2017
But prices should continue to drop in the coming weeks as refinery production rates continue to increase and the seasonal end-off-summer demand for driving decreases, Armbruster said.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Gas prices sink to $2 a gallon in Fort Worth, Texas | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 25 Oct. 2017
The pace of vaccinations picked up over the summer, as the fatality rate in the public health crisis reached into double digits.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego officials alerted city employees, vendors, early in hepatitis crisis, not so much the public," 3 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of summer

Middle English sumer, from Old English sumor; akin to Old High German & Old Norse sumer summer, Sanskrit samā year, season

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

summer

adjective

Definition of summer

1 : of, relating to, or suitable for summer

summer vacation

a summer home

2 : sown in the spring and harvested in the same year as sown

summer wheat

— compare winter

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Summer’s coming to an end, but the fun doesn’t have to.

— cleveland.com, "10 new travel ideas for late summer, close to Cleveland (photos)," 25 Aug. 2017
Summer exhibition of Italian artists features work from painter Malacarne's Water series and glassworks from Vidal.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Free and fun events this weekend: Aug. 18-20," 16 Aug. 2017
Summer league play has been good for the Dallas Mavericks.

— david humphrey, star-telegram, "Mavericks add rookie free agent guard P.J. Dozier," 8 Aug. 2017
Summer seersucker suits from the Alan Flusser brand come from Stein Mart.

— cristina bolling, charlotteobserver, "5 style lessons from a former CLT homicide cop now on TV – who’s also a fashionista," 3 Aug. 2017
Summer’s heat and humidity make a face full of makeup feel oppressive.

— crystal martin, New York Times, "How to Go Makeup-Free This Summer," 1 Aug. 2017
Summer rains can cause container plants to decline; check for proper drainage.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "August in the garden," 29 July 2017
Summer heat can wilt and stress plants during the day.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Summer salad tips," 18 July 2017
Summer reading programs in South Florida libraries and bookstores encourage students to keep reading during the school break.

— South Florida Parenting, "Summer reading: Books to keep kids learning," 3 July 2017

First Known Use of summer

14th century

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

summer

verb

Definition of summer

summered; summering play \ˈsə-mə-riŋ, ˈsəm-riŋ\

intransitive verb

: to pass the summer

transitive verb

: to keep or carry through the summer; especially : to provide (cattle, sheep, etc.) with pasture during the summer

See summer defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

Their renovation projects have included two Upper East Side townhouses as well as Lasata, the nearly 12-acre East Hampton estate where Jackie Kennedy Onassis summered as a child.

— christina binkley, WSJ, "The Secret Inside Tiffany’s Blue Box: Reed Krakoff," 26 Mar. 2018
While Chalamet, who plays a teenager summering in Italy in the early 1980s, sports an inexpensive digital watch on a black rubber strap, Stuhlbarg’s archaeology professor wears a stainless-steel Rolex – and that’s likely no accident, Boutros says.

— laurie brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, "Winning Watches: 5 Timepieces to Spot in This Year’s Crop of Oscar-Nominated Films," 6 Feb. 2018
Comparable Climates: London, Sydney, St. Moritz Lucky enough to be summering at Lake Como?

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "Menswear’s Most Underrated Vacation Essential," 6 July 2017
Instead, this is Everyman's beach - a place for day trips, not summering.

— robin givhan, chicagotribune.com, "Chelsea Manning does beach photo shoot for Vogue's September issue," 11 Aug. 2017
This is a look that the beauty entrepreneur tested this spring and while summering in the Hamptons in 2014.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West Combines All the Summer’s Boldest Trends in One Look," 8 Aug. 2017
Lakers summer league coach Jud Buechler told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

— mark spezia, Detroit Free Press, "Mom's support, Flint roots buoy new Laker Kyle Kuzma's impressive summer," 28 July 2017
Premier League clubs that opted to come to North America in summer 2016 – Crystal Palace, then-Premier League champion Leicester City FC and Arsenal, for instance – were instead summering at destinations in Asia and Australia.

— patrick brennan, The Courier-Journal, "How FC Cincinnati booked a marquee friendly against Valencia CF," 21 July 2017
As schools let out and summer vacation season begins, motorists are spending less to fill up their gas tanks.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "AAA: Gas prices falling fast in Florida, U.S.," 12 June 2017

First Known Use of summer

15th century

SUMMER Defined for English Language Learners

summer

noun

Definition of summer for English Language Learners

: the warmest season of the year that is after spring and before autumn

summer

verb

Definition of summer for English Language Learners

: to spend the summer in a particular place

SUMMER Defined for Kids

summer

noun sum·mer \ ˈsə-mər \

Definition of summer for Students

1 : the season between spring and autumn which is in the northern hemisphere usually the months of June, July, and August

2 : one of the years of a person's lifetime

a youth of sixteen summers

summer

verb

Definition of summer for Students

summered; summering

: to pass the summer

We summered at the shore.

Learn More about summer

See words that rhyme with summer Spanish Central: Translation of summer Nglish: Translation of summer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of summer for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about summer

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summer

Definition of summer

summerlike

Examples of summer in a Sentence

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

Origin and Etymology of summer

Other Calendar Terms

summer

Definition of summer

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

First Known Use of summer

Other Calendar Terms

summer

Definition of summer

Recent Examples of summer from the Web

First Known Use of summer

Phrases Related to SUMMER

Related Phrases

SUMMER Defined for English Language Learners

summer

Definition of summer for English Language Learners

summer

Definition of summer for English Language Learners

SUMMER Defined for Kids

summer

Definition of summer for Students

summer

Definition of summer for Students

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