summary
Americannoun
plural
summariesadjective
-
brief and comprehensive; concise.
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direct and prompt; unceremoniously fast.
to treat someone with summary dispatch.
-
(of legal proceedings, jurisdiction, etc.) conducted without, or exempt from, the various steps and delays of a formal trial.
noun
adjective
-
performed arbitrarily and quickly, without formality
a summary execution
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(of legal proceedings) short and free from the complexities and delays of a full trial
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the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
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giving the gist or essence
Related Words
Summary, brief, digest, synopsis are terms for a short version of a longer work. A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points, especially as a conclusion to a work: a summary of a chapter. A brief is a detailed outline, by heads and subheads, of a discourse (usually legal) to be completed: a brief for an argument. A digest is an abridgment of an article, book, etc., or an organized arrangement of material under heads and titles: a digest of a popular novel; a digest of Roman law. A synopsis is usually a compressed statement of the plot of a novel, play, etc.: a synopsis of Hamlet.
Other Word Forms
- summarily adverb
- summariness noun
Etymology
Origin of summary
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin summārium, equivalent to summ(a) “sum” + -ārium noun suffix; sum, -ary
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.
He said the move was in accordance with international law, and the government would publish a summary of its legal advice.
From BBC
An artificial-intelligence tool created this summary, which was based on the text of the article and checked by an editor.
An artificial-intelligence tool created this summary, which was based on the text of the article and checked by an editor.
But three of the interview summaries and related notes, totalling more than 50 pages, are not available on the justice department's website, according to reports by NPR and others including the New York Times.
From BBC
The Justice Department released an FBI summary of the woman’s claims and notes from the woman’s first FBI interview, but not the notes from three subsequent FBI interviews, the files show.
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.
