as in outlines
a short statement of the main points
many book reports choose to begin with a summary of the book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of summaries
Bondi had a binder at the ready of stats and crime summaries ready to hurl at lawmakers during the contentious hearing, but members are unnerved that DOJ apparently tracked their searches to have at the ready.
—
The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
The story summaries above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Most summaries of Black history follow a chronological arc —slavery, segregation, civil rights, with protest and oppression as the primary through-line.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Currently launching within California personal injury practices, Faruki says, JustineAITM assists with collecting case information, organizing documents, and preparing structured summaries for attorney review.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
These summaries were all cross-referenced with other catalogs Colón developed.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
Putin’s name does appear in the records released by the Justice Department about 1,000 times, but the bulk of those references are news articles, or summaries of news stories, that have been shared by others and have nothing to do with the Epstein investigation.
—Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Supplementing Wikipedia’s Encyclopedia Britannica-style format with a small component that contains AI summaries is not a simple problem with a cut-and-dry answer.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2026
Set the tone with summaries and kind boundaries.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
The story summaries above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Most summaries of Black history follow a chronological arc —slavery, segregation, civil rights, with protest and oppression as the primary through-line.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Currently launching within California personal injury practices, Faruki says, JustineAITM assists with collecting case information, organizing documents, and preparing structured summaries for attorney review.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
These summaries were all cross-referenced with other catalogs Colón developed.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
Putin’s name does appear in the records released by the Justice Department about 1,000 times, but the bulk of those references are news articles, or summaries of news stories, that have been shared by others and have nothing to do with the Epstein investigation.
—Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Supplementing Wikipedia’s Encyclopedia Britannica-style format with a small component that contains AI summaries is not a simple problem with a cut-and-dry answer.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2026
Set the tone with summaries and kind boundaries.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summaries
Noun
-
Map drawers draft the outlines of these districts, as well as those for state senate and state house seats, city council districts, and county precincts, like in Galveston County.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Single hearts and nail-bed outlines skew minimalist but instantly referential.—
Calin Van Paris,
InStyle,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Additionally, a photo emerged showing Mandelson interacting with a woman while wearing just a T-shirt and white briefs.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The agency has also been publishing fewer reports in its flagship publication the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, canceled a campaign to encourage flu vaccination, paused updating critical databases and rarely briefs reporters.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Documents ranged from official descriptions of the cotton experiment led by engineer Eduardo Chávez on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border to inventories listing of the belongings carried by deportees returning to Mexico.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Archivists created inventories and catalogs, attached labels identifying genre and content, and developed filing systems using baskets, shelves, and wall niches.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That first chapter was about infinite series and sums.—
Cyril A. Reinicke,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Corporations and unions, still barred from contributing to federal campaigns directly, could spend unlimited sums independently.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Scroll down for the full lineup and synopses.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
-
In September 2025 Keep reading for the best new and returning TV shows arriving on streaming platforms in September 2025, including their premiere dates, synopses and where to watch them.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Summaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summaries. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
