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.
For now, most AI agents are being deployed by white-collar workers to do things like write code, summarize emails, perform customer support and analyze data.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Brian Chesky, CEO of vacation-rental app Airbnb, said during the company’s earnings call last week that AI would help offer more granular detail on consumers and help summarize reviews of rental locations.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
An AI tool can summarize your quarterly earnings report, but go ahead and ask it to “run this one through the parameters of project blue door and check if it violates the 7-2 rule.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
It can also retrieve and summarize information, and many students use the technology to help with studying or schoolwork.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
Also, look for picture books that summarize the plot of a famous opera or ballet.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
