summarize
gb/sˈʌmɚˌaɪz/ us/sˈʌmɚˌaɪz/
B1
English
~ 3600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Give a brief account
To tell the most important parts of something in a short way.
Usage pattern:
to summarize [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'summarize' with 'paraphrase'. Summarizing means giving only the main points, not rewriting everything in different words.
Synonyms
condense (Focuses on making something shorter while keeping its meaning.)
|
recap (Informal; often used for quickly repeating the main points.)
Antonyms
elaborate (Means to add more detail instead of making it shorter.)
Collocations
summarize information
|summarize findings
|summarize results
|summarize the main points
|summarize briefly
Themes
communication
|education
|writing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The report summarizes last year's sales performance.
- She summarized the movie's plot in just two sentences.
- The teacher asked him to summarize the chapter for the class.
- This chart summarizes our research findings.
- He summarized the discussion before ending the meeting.
Learner examples
- Please summarize the story in your own words.
- He can summarize the news for you.
- I will summarize my ideas in a few words.
- They summarize the rules at the start.
- Can you summarize this article?
Grammar
Dictionary form
summarize
IPA
GB/sˈʌmɚˌaɪz/
US/sˈʌmɚˌaɪz/
Syllables & stress
sum - mar - ize (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sum)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: summarize
- 3rd Person Singular: summarizes
- Present Participle: summarizing
- Past: summarized
Word family
Expressions
to summarize
1/tə sˈʌmɚˌaɪz/
fixed phrase
Briefly state main points
Used before giving a short and clear statement of the main ideas.
Examples
- To summarize, we need more time and money to finish the project.
- To summarize, the book is about friendship and courage.
in summary
1/ˈɪn sˈʌmɚi/
fixed phrase
Introduce a brief conclusion
Used to say that you will give the main points in a short way.
Examples
- In summary, our results show a clear improvement.
- In summary, we recommend starting the project next month.
in summary
2/ˈɪn sˈʌmɚi/
fixed phrase
To introduce a brief restatement
Used to show you are giving the main points in short form.
Examples
- In summary, we need more time to finish the project.
- In summary, the meeting went well and we agreed on the next steps.