summer

[ suhm-er ]

/ ˈsʌm ər /

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See synonyms for: summer / summered / summering on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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.

a period of hot, usually sunny weather: We had no real summer last year.

the hotter half of the year (opposed to winter): They spend the summers in New Hampshire and the winters in Florida.

the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline: the summer of life.

a whole year as represented by this season: a girl of fifteen summers.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of summer: Iced tea is a summer drink.

appropriate for or done during the summer: summer clothes;summer sports.

having the weather or warmth of summer: summer days in late October.

verb (used without object)

to spend or pass the summer: They summered in Maine.

verb (used with object)

to keep, feed, or manage during the summer: Sheep are summered in high pastures.

to make summerlike.

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Origin of summer

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”

OTHER WORDS FROM summer

sum·mer·less, adjective

Words nearby summer

Summa Theologica, summation, summation method, summative, summative assessment, summer, summer camp, summercater, summer complaint, summer cypress, summer flounder

Other definitions for summer (2 of 2)

summer²

[ suhm-er ]

/ ˈsʌm ər /

noun

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

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.

a beam or lintel.

Also Obsolete, som·er

[suhm-er] /ˈsʌm ər/ for def. 1 .

Origin of summer

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, -er²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use summer in a sentence

Our summers are longer which means that conditions are hotter, they’re drier, and that makes us more susceptible to wildfires.
“Unprecedented”: What’s behind the California, Oregon, and Washington wildfires|Umair Irfan|September 11, 2020|Vox
Nikola did not address Fortune’s questions about Hindenburg’s specific claims, including questions about whether the truck shown in the 2018 video was moving under its own power, or who Nikola’s battery development partners were by summer 2020.
New report claims widespread deception by Nikola Motor and founder Trevor Milton|dzanemorris|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Labor Day weekend, the last official weekend of summer, isn’t typically the biggest movie weekend of the year.
This is the most important movie weekend of the year|Alissa Wilkinson|September 4, 2020|Vox
U-pick typically accounts for 60 percent of business for the 28-year-old farm, and the summer high season has been going well.
Pick Your Poison|Nick Mancall-Bitel|September 3, 2020|Eater

In the summer of 2019, suppliers were preparing to make components for as many as 75 million handsets.
Apple is prepping 75 million 5G iPhones for later this year|radmarya|September 1, 2020|Fortune
I actually downloaded the app last summer and was embarrassed because none of my friends seemed to use it.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Pitchfork called him a “a rap-obsessed misfit from a summer camp who freestyles poorly” who is “ridiculous without knowing it.”
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last summer, I spoke with first black supermodel Beverly Johnson about this for The Root.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last summer, Louisiana also banned non-legal adoption, with offenders facing a penalty of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Miller traces his irreverent and subversive streak to a psychedelic experience during the particularly sweltering summer of 1991.
DJ Spooky Wants You To Question Everything You Know About Music, Technology, and Philosophy|Oliver Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
And this summer it seemed to her that she never would be able to take proper care of her nestful of children.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
The year before they had spent part of the summer with their grandmother Pontellier in Iberville.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Of course, most specimens are probably taken up in the summer when the handsome foliage attracts the eye.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
In a general way the fronds are best collected during the summer and autumn, when they will, of course, be well developed.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

British Dictionary definitions for summer (1 of 2)

summer¹

/ (ˈsʌmə) /

noun

(sometimes capital)

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
(as modifier)summer flowers; a summer dress Related adjective: aestival

the period of hot weather associated with the summer

a time of blossoming, greatest happiness, etc

mainly poetic a year represented by this seasona child of nine summers

verb

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

(tr) to keep or feed (farm animals) during the summerthey summered their cattle on the mountain slopes

Derived forms of summer

summerless, adjectivesummer-like, adjectivesummerly, adjective, adverbsummery, adjective

summeriness, noun

Word Origin for summer

Old English sumor; related to Old Frisian sumur, Old Norse sumar, Old High German sumar, Sanskrit samā season

British Dictionary definitions for summer (2 of 2)

summer²

/ (ˈsʌmə) /

noun

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

another name for lintel

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

Word Origin for summer

C14: from Anglo-Norman somer, from Old French somier beam, packhorse, from Late Latin sagmārius (equus) pack(horse), from sagma a packsaddle, from Greek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

summer

Origin of summer

OTHER WORDS FROM summer

Words nearby summer

Other definitions for summer (2 of 2)

Origin of summer

Words related to summer

How to use summer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for summer (1 of 2)

Derived forms of summer

Word Origin for summer

British Dictionary definitions for summer (2 of 2)

Word Origin for summer