sum-up

or sum·up

[ suhm-uhp ]

noun

1. the act or result of summing up; summary.

sum up

verb

1. to summarize (feelings, the main points of an argument, etc)

   the judge began to sum up

2. tr to form a quick opinion of

   I summed him up in five minutes

Word History and Origins

Origin of sum-up¹

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase sum up

Idioms and Phrases

Present the substance of, summarize, as in They always sum up the important news in a couple of minutes , or That expletive sums up my feelings about the matter . [Early 1600s]

Example Sentences

The two ducks either side of those innings sum up a player consistent in his inconsistency.

From BBC

As the tart-tongued Dowager Countess of Grantham, she was “Downton’s” superpower — able to freeze a room with a glance, break your heart with the twitch of a shoulder and sum up the the entire theme of the series in just four words — ”What is a week-end?”

From Los Angeles Times

It was difficult to sum up last season for Harlequins.

From BBC

Those signs sum up the promise and the peril of Trump’s clifftop, open-to-the-public golf course, which he bought from bankrupted developers in 2002 after the 18th hole slid into the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times

If one play could sum up the night, it would be when the Sparks’ Azura Stevens stole the ball with just over two minutes left in the game.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• epitomize
• examine
• sum