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
plural summaries
: an abstract, abridgment, or compendium especially of a preceding discourse
Synonyms
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
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2023
By the occupying Nazis' decree, any assistance to Jews was punished with summary execution.
—Monika Scislowska, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
April 3 — Ukraine discovers Russian atrocities in Bucha
Russia's hasty retreat from Kyiv's suburbs revealed evidence of summary executions, beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 25 Aug. 2023
Within Ukraine, those consequences would have been awful—show trials, summary executions, and all the mayhem visited upon the areas that Russia did manage to occupy.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2023
The website Transfermarkt provides summary valuation of league squads, and currently values MLS players at $1.3 billion, compared with $11.3 billion for the English Premier League, $5.1 billion for La Liga, $4.9 billion for Serie A and $4.6 billion for the Bundesliga.
—Stefan Szymanski, Fortune, 7 June 2023
In expressing a summary view of the application process, Sarah Markhovsky, director of admissions at Greenhill School, says the most important thing for parents to know is that most private schools generally engage in a holistic view of every application.
—Dallas News, 2 Oct. 2020
The campaign's summary notes how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director, Robert Redfield, contacted his counterpart in China and offered to send U.S. experts to aid its investigation on Jan. 3.
—Katherine Doyle, Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2020
Local health departments also can access summary disease reports.
—Rachel Dissell, cleveland, 6 Apr. 2020
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Navarro sent the show to commercial with one final summary of the Golden Bachelor developments that have plagued her for weeks on end.
—EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Okay, here’s the document, following my rough summary of what Epic’s asking for.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Instead of being confronted with a succinct summary of these horrifying facts—the targeting of cities, the death tolls in the millions—Postol found the contents of the Black Book to be an obfuscation of the facts.
—Annie Jacobsen, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
The rationale is something like this: AI tools will eventually handle a lot of the grunt work involved in protecting computer systems, like automatically scanning files for suspicious behavior and writing summaries of its findings.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Perhaps no better summary of Newman’s racing legacy is needed.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Before that meeting, a summary of the allegations based on the prior interviews was provided to Volz and her attorney.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The state's summary of the current project didn't go into detail about the reason for the 2024 work, but state officials previously did during a similar project in 2018.
—Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
Adjective
In McCarthy’s Central Valley congressional district, the most Republican in the Golden State, many residents fumed about the summary political execution of California’s first Republican speaker of the House.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2023
By the occupying Nazis' decree, any assistance to Jews was punished with summary execution.
—Monika Scislowska, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
April 3 — Ukraine discovers Russian atrocities in Bucha
Russia's hasty retreat from Kyiv's suburbs revealed evidence of summary executions, beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 25 Aug. 2023
Within Ukraine, those consequences would have been awful—show trials, summary executions, and all the mayhem visited upon the areas that Russia did manage to occupy.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2023
The website Transfermarkt provides summary valuation of league squads, and currently values MLS players at $1.3 billion, compared with $11.3 billion for the English Premier League, $5.1 billion for La Liga, $4.9 billion for Serie A and $4.6 billion for the Bundesliga.
—Stefan Szymanski, Fortune, 7 June 2023
In expressing a summary view of the application process, Sarah Markhovsky, director of admissions at Greenhill School, says the most important thing for parents to know is that most private schools generally engage in a holistic view of every application.
—Dallas News, 2 Oct. 2020
The campaign's summary notes how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director, Robert Redfield, contacted his counterpart in China and offered to send U.S. experts to aid its investigation on Jan. 3.
—Katherine Doyle, Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2020
Local health departments also can access summary disease reports.
—Rachel Dissell, cleveland, 6 Apr. 2020
Noun
Popular on Variety The prosecutor provided a summary of the calls, in which Gutierrez Reed spoke with her mother, her boyfriend and a defense paralegal.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
Navarro sent the show to commercial with one final summary of the Golden Bachelor developments that have plagued her for weeks on end.
—EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Okay, here’s the document, following my rough summary of what Epic’s asking for.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Instead of being confronted with a succinct summary of these horrifying facts—the targeting of cities, the death tolls in the millions—Postol found the contents of the Black Book to be an obfuscation of the facts.
—Annie Jacobsen, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
The rationale is something like this: AI tools will eventually handle a lot of the grunt work involved in protecting computer systems, like automatically scanning files for suspicious behavior and writing summaries of its findings.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Perhaps no better summary of Newman’s racing legacy is needed.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Before that meeting, a summary of the allegations based on the prior interviews was provided to Volz and her attorney.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The state's summary of the current project didn't go into detail about the reason for the 2024 work, but state officials previously did during a similar project in 2018.
—Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'summary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near summary
Cite this Entry
“Summary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
summary
2 of 2 noun
plural summaries
: a short statement of the main points (as in a book or report)
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