summarize
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /sˈʌmərˌaɪz/
US
- /ˈsəmərˌaɪz/
Description
- briefly retell
- condense
- give the main points
- recap
- outline
Imagine you have just finished a long book, a movie, or a busy day. Then someone asks, "What happened?" You probably would not tell every small detail. You would give the main parts so the other person can understand quickly. That is what "summarize" means.
To summarize is to take something long and express its main ideas in a shorter form. You keep what matters most and leave out extra details. Students summarize chapters for notes, reporters summarize events in short news pieces, and friends summarize their weekends in a few sentences. You can also summarize an idea or argument so it is easier for someone else to follow.
To summarize means to give a short and clear account of the main points of something, such as a story, article, speech, discussion, or event. It is not just about making something shorter. It is about choosing the most important information and presenting it in a way that stays true to the original meaning.
Think about telling a friend about a movie you watched. You would probably mention the key events, the main conflict, and the ending, but you would leave out many small moments. In the same way, when you summarize, you focus on the central message instead of every detail.
People do this in many situations. Students summarize texts to show they understand them. Teachers summarize lessons at the end of class. Reporters summarize events for quick news updates. At work, a manager might summarize a long meeting in a short email. In daily life, you might summarize your day, a conversation, or even a problem you want help with.
A good summary is accurate, brief, and easy to follow. It usually avoids extra opinions and keeps close to the original ideas. You can do it in writing or by speaking. Whether you are talking about a book, a plan, or something that happened earlier, summarize means to share the main points in a shorter and clearer way.
Examples
- 1
Classroom
At the end of the lesson, the teacher summarized the main points on the board.
- 2
Catching up
Can you summarize what happened while I was away?
- 3
Article task
Please summarize the article in your own words.
Phrase
in your own words
using your own way of saying it, not copying
- 4
Proposal
She summarized her proposal in one short paragraph.
- 5
Visual data
The table summarizes the results of the experiment.
Meaning
tables, charts, and other visuals can summarize information too
- 6
Policy handbook
The new policy is summarized on page 2 of the handbook.
- 7
Closing summary
To summarize, we agree on the goal, but not on the deadline.
Phrase
To summarize
used before giving the main points briefly
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- summarizeverb
Forms
- summarizedpast tenseverb
- summarizesverb
- summarizing-ing formverb