Standard Lemma guide

summarize

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Wisconsin Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 M ER0 AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To prepare a summary of (something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

Examples

  • Jim was asked to summarize the document by Wednesday.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To give a recapitulation of the salient facts; to recapitulate or review.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

Examples

  • After the meeting, Jim summarized the major decisions made.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sum up

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

give a summary (of)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he summed up his results
  • I will now summarize

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sum up, summarise, resume

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: repeat, reiterate, ingeminate, iterate, restate, retell

Narrower terms: abstract, precis, docket, recapitulate, recap

4

verb

Meaning 4

be a summary of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The abstract summarizes the main ideas in the paper

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: summarise, sum, sum up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: state, say, tell

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English summary Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English summarize From summary + -ize.

Across languages

Translations

80 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: لَخَّصَ (laḵḵaṣa) — to prepare a summary
  • Arabic: اِخْتَصَرَ (iḵtaṣara) — to prepare a summary
  • Armenian: ամփոփել (ampʻopʻel) — to prepare a summary
  • Azerbaijani: yekunlaşdırmaq — to prepare a summary
  • Basque: laburbildu — to prepare a summary
  • Bulgarian: резюми́рам (rezjumíram) — to prepare a summary
  • Catalan: resumir — to prepare a summary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摘要 (zhāiyào) — to prepare a summary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 總結 /总结 (zǒngjié) — to prepare a summary
  • Cornish: berrskrifa — to prepare a summary
  • Dutch: samenvatten — to prepare a summary
  • Dutch: opsommen — to prepare a summary
  • Dutch: puren — to prepare a summary
  • Dutch: uitpuren — to prepare a summary
  • Finnish: tiivistää — to prepare a summary
  • French: résumer — to prepare a summary
  • French: récapituler — to prepare a summary
  • German: zusammenfassen — to prepare a summary
  • Hebrew: סיכם (sikém) — to prepare a summary
  • Hungarian: összefoglal — to prepare a summary
  • Irish: achoimrigh — to prepare a summary
  • Italian: riassumere — to prepare a summary
  • Japanese: 要約する (yōyaku suru) — to prepare a summary
  • Kazakh: нәтижелеу (nätijeleu) — to prepare a summary
  • Korean: 요약하다 (yoyakhada) — to prepare a summary
  • Latin: consummo — to prepare a summary
  • Malay: merumuskan — to prepare a summary
  • Māori: whakarāpopoto — to prepare a summary
  • Persian: خلاصه کردن (xolâse kardan) — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: podsumowywać — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: podsumować — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: streszczać — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: streścić — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: reasumować — to prepare a summary
  • Polish: zreasumować — to prepare a summary
  • Portuguese: resumir — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: обобща́ть (obobščátʹ) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: обобщи́ть (obobščítʹ) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: подводи́ть ито́г (podvodítʹ itóg) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: подвести́ ито́г (podvestí itóg) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: подыто́живать (podytóživatʹ) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: подыто́жить (podytóžitʹ) — to prepare a summary
  • Russian: конспекти́ровать (konspektírovatʹ) — to prepare a summary
  • Scottish Gaelic: thoir geàrr-chunntas air — to prepare a summary
  • Spanish: resumir — to prepare a summary
  • Swedish: sammanfatta — to prepare a summary
  • Turkish: özetlemek — to prepare a summary
  • Vietnamese: tóm lược — to prepare a summary
  • Vietnamese: tóm tắt — to prepare a summary
  • Vietnamese: tóm lại — to prepare a summary
  • Armenian: ամփոփել (ampʻopʻel) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Azerbaijani: yekunlaşdırmaq — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Bulgarian: обобщавам (obobštavam) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Catalan: recapitular — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Chinese Mandarin: 總結 /总结 (zǒngjié) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Esperanto: resumi — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Finnish: tiivistää — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Finnish: esittää lyhyesti — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • French: récapituler — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • German: zusammenfassen — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Greek: ανακεφαλαιώνω (anakefalaióno) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Irish: achoimrigh — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Italian: riassumere — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Kazakh: жинақтау (jinaqtau) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Macedonian: сумира (sumira) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Macedonian: обопшти (obopšti) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Macedonian: обопштува (obopštuva) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Māori: whakarāpopoto — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Polish: sumować — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Polish: zsumowywać — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Polish: zsumować — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: обобща́ть (obobščátʹ) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: обобщи́ть (obobščítʹ) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: подводи́ть ито́г (podvodítʹ itóg) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: подвести́ ито́г (podvestí itóg) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: подыто́живать (podytóživatʹ) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Russian: подыто́жить (podytóžitʹ) — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Scottish Gaelic: thoir geàrr-chunntas air — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Spanish: resumir — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review
  • Spanish: recapitular — to give a recapitulation of salient facts; to recapitulate or review