summary

American  

[suhm-uh-ree] / ˈsʌm ə ri /

noun

plural

summaries

1. a comprehensive and usually brief abstract, recapitulation, or compendium of previously stated facts or statements.

   Synonyms:

   précis, outline

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adjective

1. brief and comprehensive; concise.

   Synonyms:

   succinct, compact, condensed, short

2. direct and prompt; unceremoniously fast.

   to treat someone with summary dispatch.

   Synonyms:

   brusque, terse, curt

3. (of legal proceedings, jurisdiction, etc.) conducted without, or exempt from, the various steps and delays of a formal trial.

summary British  

/ ˈsʌmərɪ /

noun

1. a brief account giving the main points of something

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adjective

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. the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings

4. 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

You probably interact with them multiple times every day by now - from the summary at the top of search engine results to your smartphone's autocorrect, photo editing software or voicemail transcription tools.

From BBC

Araghchi posted his summary of the conversation with the UK's foreign secretary in a post in Farsi on the social media site Telegram.

From BBC

The meeting minutes don’t include a summary of individual opinions.

From The Wall Street Journal

The intelligence report, a summary of national security risks released Wednesday by the Director of National Intelligence, did note areas in which Beijing is seen as a threat.

From The Wall Street Journal

The US central bank also released its quarterly summary of economic projections, expecting year-end fourth quarter GDP growth to come in at 2.4 percent year-on-year.

From Barron's

Related Words

• analysis
• essence
• outline
• prospectus
• recap
• rehash
• review
• rundown
• sketch
• survey
• synopsis
• version