summer
1 Americannoun
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the season between spring and autumn, in the Northern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox.
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the period comprising the months of June, July, and August in the United States, and from the middle of May to the middle of August in Great Britain.
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a period of hot, usually sunny weather.
We had no real summer last year.
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the hotter half of the year (opposed to winter).
They spend the summers in New Hampshire and the winters in Florida.
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the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline.
the summer of life.
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a whole year as represented by this season.
a girl of fifteen summers.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of summer.
Iced tea is a summer drink.
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appropriate for or done during the summer.
summer clothes;
summer sports.
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having the weather or warmth of summer.
summer days in late October.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to keep, feed, or manage during the summer.
Sheep are summered in high pastures.
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to make summerlike.
noun
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a principal beam or girder, as one running between girts to support joists.
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a stone laid upon a pier, column, or wall, from which one or more arches spring: usually molded or otherwise treated like the arch or arches springing from it.
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a beam or lintel.
noun
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(sometimes capital)
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the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn, astronomically from the June solstice to the September equinox in the N hemisphere and at the opposite time of year in the S hemisphere
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( as modifier )
summer flowers
a summer dress
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the period of hot weather associated with the summer
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a time of blossoming, greatest happiness, etc
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poetic a year represented by this season
a child of nine summers
verb
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(intr) to spend the summer (at a place)
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(tr) to keep or feed (farm animals) during the summer
they summered their cattle on the mountain slopes
noun
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Also called: summer tree. a large horizontal beam or girder, esp one that supports floor joists
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another name for lintel
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a stone on the top of a column, pier, or wall that supports an arch or lintel
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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summersimple
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summerssimple
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have summeredperfect
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has summeredperfect
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am summeringprogressive
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are summeringprogressive
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is summeringprogressive
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have been summeringperfect progressive
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has been summeringperfect progressive
Past
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summeredsimple
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had summeredperfect
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was summeringprogressive
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were summeringprogressive
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had been summeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of summer1
First recorded before 900; Middle English somer, Old English sumor; cognate with Dutch zomer, German Sommer, Old Norse sumar “summer”; akin to Sanskrit sámā “season, half-year, year,” Old Irish sam-, Old Welsh ham, Welsh haf “summer”
Origin of summer2
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English somer, from Anglo-French; Old French somier “packhorse, beam,” from unattested Vulgar Latin saumārius, equivalent to Latin sagm(a) “packsaddle” (from Greek ságma ) + -ārius noun suffix; see -ary, -er 2
Explanation
Summer is the season after spring and before autumn. In the summer, the weather is warmer and many students get a break from school. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer lasts from June to September, and if you travel in December to Australia or somewhere else in the Southern Hemisphere, you'll get to experience summer all over again. When fancy people talk about what they do during the summer, they may use it as a verb: "Oh, we summer in Maine."
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:
In other words, Boston homes are becoming harder to sell this summer as compared to a year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
But in America this summer, he remains stuck on a single goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
This summer the 27-year-old captain overtook Olivier Giroud as France's all-time leading goalscorer, and now has 64 in 104 games.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
She also believes general awareness of the corpse flower increases each summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The name of the band she’s been talking about all summer starts to ring a bell.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
You know, 24 major tournament titles, 40 Masters 1000s, a hard-fought gold medal two summers ago in Paris, blah, blah, blah, all that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Lee McGrath, 51, from Bridgend, remembers spending his summers exploring and playing hide-and-seek with the other kids in the tunnels.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Fery grew up a short walk away from Centre Court, coming to the Championships most summers and trying to mimic the stars he watched.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
After exploring thoughtfully curated living spaces featuring coffee tables designed by Vincent Van Duysen, be sure to check out the brands’ latest Outdoor Collection, ideal for the heat of L.A.’s long summers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
I thought I’d see her during the summers, but she spent them on the East Coast as a junior counselor at some hoity-toity camp.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
He visited the island in 1958, skipping his Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduation ceremony to join his wife, who summered there growing up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Richard Nixon — who was born in Yorba Linda, attended Fullerton High, had his first law office in La Habra and summered in San Clemente during his presidency — might seem like an obvious choice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
Grubauer said he was the only Kraken player who stuck around home base all offseason, with its top-of-the-line facilities, strength coaches and medical staff who aren’t available to him if he summered at home.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2023
Driscoll and her husband summered on the New Jersey shore, in Point Pleasant, until he retired in 1930.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
The partners at the top firms graduated from the same Ivy League schools, attended the same churches, and summered in the same oceanside towns on Long Island.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
He’s boastfully summering in Italy and reveling in his luxurious wedding on All-In, the podcast that he co-hosts.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2023
I've been summering there for 20 years, probably.
From Salon ● May 3, 2023
Senate in Arizona, last year ran a spot on cable television in New Jersey, where Mr. Trump was summering at his golf club in Bedminster.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 17, 2022
Sidibe is the voice behind Jenna Clayton, a Black writer summering in Westchester with her wealthy boyfriend and taking notes on a group of local influencers for her next book.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2021
Apparently, for fun, kids like the ones at Chumley enjoy trapeze arts, yacht sailing, Formula One go-kart racing, summering in the winter, horseback riding, and fashion accessorizing.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
