summary
Americannoun
plural
summariesadjective
-
brief and comprehensive; concise.
-
direct and prompt; unceremoniously fast.
to treat someone with summary dispatch.
-
(of legal proceedings, jurisdiction, etc.) conducted without, or exempt from, the various steps and delays of a formal trial.
noun
adjective
-
performed arbitrarily and quickly, without formality
a summary execution
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(of legal proceedings) short and free from the complexities and delays of a full trial
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the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
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giving the gist or essence
Related Words
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, especially 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 abridgment 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 of Hamlet.
Other Word Forms
- summarily adverb
- summariness noun
Etymology
Origin of summary
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin summārium, equivalent to summ(a) “sum” + -ārium noun suffix; sum, -ary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Asia, markets will watch the Bank of Japan’s policy summary and price data from Tokyo.
Nepal's interim administration has said it will make a summary of findings public but it will be up to the newly elected RSP to decide how to implement the commission's recommendations.
From BBC
The ship’s log summary made note of “a large bay, which they named ‘the Bay of the Smokes,’ on account of the many smokes they saw there.”
From Los Angeles Times
Brief scenes, written mostly in summary, describe the few, unhappy interactions that Josie has with Martin across the decades as he cycles through more marriages.
Those risks include potentially far-reaching impacts to the American supply chain, and the possibility of a cybersecurity attack that could disrupt infrastructure or cause harm to people, according to a summary of the decision.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
