summer
SUH-muh
Summer (noun) means the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn. Example: “We spent last summer travelling around Portugal.”
noun
1
The warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn.
"We spent last summer travelling around Portugal."
"The garden is full of flowers by early summer."
"Children play outside until late on long summer evenings."
2
A period seen as someone's prime or most flourishing time.
"The band enjoyed a brief summer of fame in the early nineties."
"He was in the summer of his career, winning almost every match."
"Those years were the summer of her creative life."
verb
1
To spend the summer season somewhere.
"The family summers on the coast every year."
"Many families summer in the mountains to escape the heat of the city."
"We summered by the lake when I was a child."
How to use summer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe hot season, or a metaphor for someone's best years.
Common pairings
summer holiday
in the summer
summer heat
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Word forms
- Plural
- summers
- Third person singular
- summers
- Past tense
- summered
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
We spent last _____ travelling around Portugal.
Etymology
From Old English sumor, going back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root for "summer" — related to similar-sounding words across most Germanic languages.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for summer
See all rhymes for summer →Frequently asked questions
What does “summer” mean?
The word “summer” means the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn. In plain terms, the hot season, or a metaphor for someone's best years.
How do you pronounce “summer”?
“Summer” is pronounced SUH-muh (/ˈsʌmɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “summer” in a sentence?
Here is “summer” used in a sentence: “We spent last summer travelling around Portugal.”
What is the opposite of “summer”?
The opposite of “summer” — its antonyms — is winter.
What part of speech is “summer”?
Depending on how it is used, “summer” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “summer” come from?
The word “summer” comes from Old English. From Old English sumor, going back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root for "summer" — related to similar-sounding words across most Germanic languages.
Is “summer” a common word?
“Summer” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “summer” have?
“Summer” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn.
What months are summer?
It depends on the hemisphere and the definition. In the Northern Hemisphere, meteorological summer runs June to August; in the Southern Hemisphere it's December to February. Astronomical summer starts at the June or December solstice and ends at the equinox, so the exact dates shift slightly each year.
Why is summer the warmest season?
Summer is warmest because that hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, so sunlight strikes more directly and days grow longer. The concentrated rays and extended daylight give the ground and air more time to heat up. It's the tilt of Earth's axis, not distance from the Sun, that drives the warmth.
Why is it summer in one hemisphere and winter in the other?
Because Earth's axis is tilted, the two hemispheres lean toward the Sun at opposite times of year. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts sunward and enjoys summer, the Southern Hemisphere tilts away into winter, and six months later the situation reverses. The seasons are therefore always opposite across the equator.
When does summer officially start?
That depends on which calendar you follow. Astronomically, summer begins at the solstice — around 21 June in the north and 21 December in the south — the longest day of the year. Meteorologically, it starts on the first of June or December, giving neat three-month seasons for record-keeping.
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