summarize

American  

[suhm-uh-rahyz] / ˈsʌm əˌraɪz /

especially British, summarise

verb (used with object)

summarized, summarizing

1. to make a summary of; state or express in a concise form.

2. to constitute a summary of.

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summarize British  

/ ˈsʌməˌraɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to make or be a summary of; express concisely

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Other Word Forms

• summarist
  noun
• summarizable
  adjective
• summarization
  noun
• summarizer
  noun
• unsummarizable
  adjective
• unsummarized
  adjective
• well-summarized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of summarize

First recorded in 1870–75; summar(y) + -ize

Explanation

To summarize something, only include the important stuff. If your teacher asks you to summarize several events from the Civil War, she wants the important facts, not every single detail you can find. When you summarize something, you write or tell the general idea and only the most important points. It's a skill we often use in school or at work, but even in our personal lives, we summarize: like when a friend asks what the book you're reading is about, or someone wants to know about your recent vacation. You don't tell them every single detail, talking yourself to exhaustion. Instead, you summarize — describing just the key events that "sum up" the experience.

Related Words

• compile
• encapsulate
• epitomize
• outline
• recap
• rehash
• sum up