summertime
noun
the summer season.
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summertime
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“Summertime”
“Summertime”One of the best-known songs of George Gershwin; it comes from the opera Porgy and Bess and begins, “Summertime, and the living is easy….”
summertime
American
[suhm-er-tahym]
/ ˈsʌm ərˌtaɪm /
noun
summertime
British
/ ˈsʌməˌtaɪm /
noun
“Summertime”
Cultural
Etymology
Origin of summertime
First recorded in 1350–1400, summertime is from the Middle English word somertime. See summer 1, time
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:
When Ritchson isn’t barreling through that summertime face-punching tour, he fronts pleasing if unchallenging straight-to-streaming romps like “Playdate” and “War Machine.”
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
In August 2019, Rideaux teamed up with L.A. rapper-singer Blxst for “SIXTAPE,” which quickly became the soundtrack for summertime in the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Vacation-themed drinks like Luckin Coffee’s new Piña Colada Mocktail are keeping summertime going, but restaurant menus are showing the first hints of fall with items like Wendy’s Apple Crumble Frosty Fusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
"In the summertime this place really goes off, now the algae has just completely killed it," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
She has this sort of red hair, a little bit like Allie's was, that's very short in the summertime.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Billy Stewart’s 1966 hit and Eddie Jefferson’s 1977 hip transformation pushed “Summertime” into new territory—the former jubilant and explosive, the latter sly and urbane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
The Modern Jazz Quartet remade “Summertime” as elegant chamber music, weaving piano and vibraphone in transparent counterpoint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
The work was once described by James Baldwin as “a white man’s version of Negro life,” but wouldn’t you agree that the world is enriched by songs like “Summertime” or “I Loves You, Porgy”?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2023
She eventually relaxed enough to sing lead on several numbers, including a sumptuous version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” that allowed her to luxuriate in her velvety lower register.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2022
He smiles, bends and kisses the top of my head, the first notes of “Summertime” rising from the piano.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
