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

A simple message, which evokes a multitude of memories for almost an entire nation, neatly summed up what Nadal means to Spain.

From BBC

The farmers' demonstration was best summed up in two images: real tractors being driven by farmers around Parliament Square, and beside them a collection of toy tractors being peddled around by their children.

From BBC

“Prolific, brutal and horrific” – these words sum up four decades of abuse meted out by John Smyth and affecting scores of boys in the UK and Africa.

From BBC

Lord Ericht appeared to sum up their position succinctly on Friday, when he suggested it amounted to them asking him to say: "I accept this decision is unlawful but I give it lawful effect."

From BBC

His one-line pay-offs at the end of each show, summing up both the fans' mood and the match, may have looked seamless.

From BBC

Related Words

• epitomize
• examine
• sum