summary

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsʌməri/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈsʌməri/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(sum′ə rē)

Inflections of 'summary' (n): npl: summaries

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sum•ma•ry /ˈsʌməri/USA pronunciation   n., pl. -ries, adj. 
n. [countable]
  1. a complete yet brief account of things previously stated:He gave a short summary of the proceedings so far.

adj. [before a noun]
  1. brief yet complete;
    concise.
  2. direct and prompt;
    fast or quick and without advance warning or politeness:They fired him with summary dispatch.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sum•ma•ry  (sum′ə rē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ries, adj. 
n. 
  1. a comprehensive and usually brief abstract, recapitulation, or compendium of previously stated facts or statements.

adj. 
  1. brief and comprehensive; concise.
  2. direct and prompt;
    unceremoniously fast:to treat someone with summary dispatch.
  3. (of legal proceedings, jurisdiction, etc.) conducted without, or exempt from, the various steps and delays of a formal trial.
  • Latin summārium, equivalent. to summ(a) sum + -ārium -ary
  • late Middle English 1400–50
sum•mar•i•ness  (sə mâr′i nis),USA pronunciation n. 
    1. outline, précis. Summary, brief, digest, synopsis are terms for a short version of a longer work. A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points, esp. as a conclusion to a work:a summary of a chapter.A brief is a detailed outline, by heads and subheads, of a discourse (usually legal) to be completed:a brief for an argument.A digest is an abridgement of an article, book, etc., or an organized arrangement of material under heads and titles:a digest of a popular novel; a digest of Roman law.A synopsis is usually a compressed statement of the plot of a novel, play, etc.:a synopsis ofHamlet. 2. short, condensed, compact, succinct. 3. curt, terse, peremptory.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
summary /ˈsʌmərɪ/ n ( pl -maries)
  1. a brief account giving the main points of something
 adj (usually prenominal)
  1. performed arbitrarily and quickly, without formality: a summary execution
  2. (of legal proceedings) short and free from the complexities and delays of a full trial
  3. summary jurisdiction ⇒ the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
  4. giving the gist or essence
Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin summārium, from summa sum1ˈsummarily adv ˈsummariness n
'summary' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abstract - argument - basically - Bill of Rights - bird's-eye - brief - budget - bulletin - capsule - coda - compendium - conspectus - digest - district court - docket - epitome - gut - information - institutes - magistrates' court - memorandum - note - precis - résumé - RSS - run down - scenario - short - Star Chamber - statement - sum - summation - summing-up - summarize - summary offence - synopsis - wrap up - abolish - abridgment - abstractive - aperçu - ax - briefing - capitulation - catechism - compendious - concise - cost sheet - crude - dismiss
Collocations: need a summary report by [tomorrow], a [news, meeting, incident, match] summary, summary meeting [notes, report], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "summary" in the title:


Look up "summary" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "summary" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.