verb
Other Word Forms
- summarist noun
- summarizable adjective
- summarization noun
- summarizer noun
- unsummarizable adjective
- unsummarized adjective
- well-summarized adjective
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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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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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.
County judges now have access to an artificial intelligence tool that can help them summarize motions and draft rulings in civil court.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
“The de-rating of secular growth,” is how a team of strategists at Goldman Sachs led by Ben Snider summarize the recent market shift.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Did anyone summarize decisions and assign next steps?
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Staff are using AI tools to draft documents, summarize research, and assist with coding, he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
To summarize, the laws of science do not distinguish between the forward and backward directions of time.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
