summarize
SUH-muh-ryz
Summarize (verb) means to reduce a longer piece of writing or speech down to its essential points. Example: “Can you summarize the meeting for anyone who missed it?”
verb
1
To reduce a longer piece of writing or speech down to its essential points.
"Can you summarize the meeting for anyone who missed it?"
"The report summarizes three years of research in just two pages."
How to use summarize
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo boil something long down to its main points.
UK vs US
Both British and American English use "summarize"; British writing sometimes uses "summarise" instead.
Common pairings
summarize the findings
summarize briefly
to summarize
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like summarize.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- summarizes
- Past tense
- summarized
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Can you _____ the meeting for anyone who missed it?
Etymology
From summary + the verb-forming suffix -ize.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for summarize
See all rhymes for summarize →Frequently asked questions
What does “summarize” mean?
The word “summarize” means to reduce a longer piece of writing or speech down to its essential points. In plain terms, to boil something long down to its main points.
How do you pronounce “summarize”?
“Summarize” is pronounced SUH-muh-ryz (/ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/ in IPA).
How do you use “summarize” in a sentence?
Here is “summarize” used in a sentence: “Can you summarize the meeting for anyone who missed it?”
What is another word for “summarize”?
Words with a similar meaning to “summarize” include précis.
What part of speech is “summarize”?
“Summarize” is a verb.
Is “summarize” a common word?
“Summarize” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
Example sentences
Sentences with a source are quoted from published work. Any opinions in them are those of the original source and do not reflect the views of FreeDict.com.
She summarized the novel's plot for the class in under a minute.
The briefing note summarizes each option and its likely cost.
To summarize, the plan is cheaper, faster and easier to explain.
Can you summarize the meeting in two sentences?
The final chapter summarizes the evidence before drawing its conclusions.
To summarize a long article without AI, a text summarizer can keep only the sentences that carry it, picked from the text rather than rewritten.
From
Text Summarizer
