as in outline
a short statement of the main points
many book reports choose to begin with a summary of the book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
obviously a one-volume encyclopedia can offer only a very summary account of the American Civil War
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of summary
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2025
In a summary of an internal investigation published Tuesday evening, Shin Bet, officially the Israel Security Agency, said that a wide range of factors were responsible for Hamas’ ability to stage the catastrophic attack.
—Lauren Izso, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 23 Sep. 2024
April 3 — Ukraine discovers Russian atrocities in Bucha
Russia's hasty retreat from Kyiv's suburbs revealed evidence of summary executions, beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.
—Peter Weber, theweek, 14 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for summary
Noun
President Donald Trump will conduct an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, providing a summary of his first weeks in his second term in office.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2025
In a summary of an internal investigation published Tuesday evening, Shin Bet, officially the Israel Security Agency, said that a wide range of factors were responsible for Hamas’ ability to stage the catastrophic attack.
—Lauren Izso, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The Virtual Assistant was able to relay what participants said almost perfectly, as well as break things down into summary topics.
—Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 23 Sep. 2024
April 3 — Ukraine discovers Russian atrocities in Bucha
Russia's hasty retreat from Kyiv's suburbs revealed evidence of summary executions, beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.
—Peter Weber, theweek, 14 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for summary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summary
Noun
-
Mohan and adapting screenwriter Nikita Lalwani take the sturdy outline of the film’s predecessor and tweak little details to add a more potent punch.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2025
-
By December 2024, the outlines of Rwanda’s larger project were becoming clearer.—
Michela Wrong,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This Side of the Island is a more concise and conceptual effort, compared to his last full-length, 2020’s The Loves of Your Life, which is a masterpiece of musical storytelling.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Keeping prices down Bartell, who is the president of Bartell Hotels and the chairman of the San Diego Tourism Marketing District, attributes the extended success of Humphreys to a concise plan.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Idaho requires malpractice insurance for lawyers, not doctors Rosa said in his opening brief that the relationship between the bench and bar in Idaho is unusually close.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File Hugo Echeverria, a lawyer who filed a brief supporting the government, said that others will likely use the decision as precedent to challenge the constitutionality of activities such as oil and gas drilling.—
Troy Aidan Sambajon,
The Christian Science Monitor,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.—
Brendan Fitzgerald,
Longreads,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The stage was set for the Fourth, whose five movements add up to a summa of Bartók’s art, by turns tenaciously labored, sinuously swirling, nocturnally eerie, pizzicato-punchy, and flat-out wild.—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
Now read the latest Google Pixel 10 Pro, Samsung, and smartphone headlines in Forbes’ weekly Android Circuit news digest...—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Real Estate Philadelphia's big developments to watch in 2025 Mar 3, 2025 Go deeper (3 min. read) News Eagles in talks with White House about Super Bowl celebration Feb 24, 2025 Go deeper (1 min. read) Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Philadelphia.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There was a reluctance to pay such a sum for someone whose talent was clear, but who had yet to deliver consistently in an elite league.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Several of the reallocations were voted on at the county’s Executive Committee meeting last week and were then passed unanimously during Tuesday’s County Board meeting, but three of the larger sums of money were passed Tuesday in split votes.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
At that point, the agency can take a formal inventory of what was damaged and destroyed.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Not having to store inventory or fulfill orders makes the platform accessible to more sellers.—
Kiri Masters,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Indiana Record: 19-13 (10-10 Big Ten) Profile strengths: Zero losses outside Q1, very competitive resume metrics.—
Tess DeMeyer,
The Athletic,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that officials are waiting for Trump’s policies, ranging from tariffs to mass deportations, to show up clearly in the economic data before central bankers can determine whether to keep rates unchanged, resume cutting, or hike again.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Summary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summary. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share