verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of summarize
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.
Vocabulary lists containing summarize
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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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.
Summarize larger ideas in your own language to conserve space.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
Summarize: Ask your grandson to summarize the text in three or fewer sentences.
From Slate • Jan. 7, 2021
Summarize the four main hypotheses for the origin of the Moon.
From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016
Summarize your idea and ask a few final questions to ensure that the idea-buyer agrees it's workable.
From Inc • Jan. 20, 2012
Summarize your study of the bug by enumerating the various ways the bug is adapted for life in the water.
From A Guide for the Study of Animals by Lucas, Frederic
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.
