summer

¹ American  

[suhm-er] / ˈsʌm ər /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. a period of hot, usually sunny weather.

   We had no real summer last year.

4. the hotter half of the year (winter ).

   They spend the summers in New Hampshire and the winters in Florida.

5. the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline.

   the summer of life.

6. a whole year as represented by this season.

   a girl of fifteen summers.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of summer.

   Iced tea is a summer drink.

2. appropriate for or done during the summer.

   summer clothes;

   summer sports.

3. having the weather or warmth of summer.

   summer days in late October.

verb (used without object)

1. to spend or pass the summer.

   They summered in Maine.

verb (used with object)

1. to keep, feed, or manage during the summer.

   Sheep are summered in high pastures.

2. to make summerlike.

summer ² American  

[suhm-er] / ˈsʌm ər /

Obsolete, somer

noun

1. a principal beam or girder, as one running between girts to support joists.

2. 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.

3. a beam or lintel.

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summer ¹ British  

/ ˈsʌmə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital)

   1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      summer flowers

      a summer dress

2. the period of hot weather associated with the summer

3. a time of blossoming, greatest happiness, etc

4. poetic a year represented by this season

   a child of nine summers

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verb

1. (intr) to spend the summer (at a place)

2. (tr) to keep or feed (farm animals) during the summer

   they summered their cattle on the mountain slopes

summer ² British  

/ ˈsʌmə /

noun

1. Also called: summer tree.  a large horizontal beam or girder, esp one that supports floor joists

2. another name for lintel

3. a stone on the top of a column, pier, or wall that supports an arch or lintel

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Other Word Forms

• summer-like adjective
• summeriness noun
• summerless adjective
• summerly adjective
• summery adjective

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; -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

Eligible households would receive £100 for each primary school child and £150 for each secondary school child during the summer holiday in a lump sum per household.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Aaron Levinson wanted to go to a World Cup game this summer, but he didn’t want to take out a second mortgage to pay for that.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Strong consumer demand for air travel persists despite fare and fee hikes, indicating higher costs will continue into summer.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

National Gas said it expected Britain to have enough gas for the summer - primarily from the UK Continental Shelf and Norway.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Being ten that summer, he was even more willing to believe in miracles than I was.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• summertime
• vacation