summary judgment

American

[suhm-uh-ree juhj-muhnt] / ˈsʌm ə ri ˌdʒʌdʒ mənt /

noun

Law.

a judgment that is entered without the necessity of jury trial, as one based on affidavits that convince the court that there is no arguable issue.

The creditor filed a motion for summary judgment against the debtor.

Etymology

Origin of summary judgment

First recorded in 1795–1800

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.

See Examples For:

summary judgment

The arguments heard were for summary judgment, which means both sides agree on the facts but disagree on how the law applies to those facts.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2025

They merely argued, in a bid for summary judgment in Kadrey v.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2025

In a judgment on Wednesday, Mr Justice Ritchie granted summary judgment in her favour, meaning she won her case without a trial.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025

No. We did have an ongoing legal battle, but we had a summary judgment and the judge awarded us, in our favor, everything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024

A violent yell from the sleeping Beauty on the rug sounded like a summary judgment on her mistress.

From Marriage by Ferrier, Susan Edmonstone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023