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

In wisely sidestepping the hubristic folly of trying to sum up his own time, he achieved a sort of timelessness.

From The Daily Beast

But challenges remain, and it took a 9-year-old girl in the panel discussion audience to sum up what the next generation faces.

From The Daily Beast

That seems to sum up the choices we face after tragedy in this new social-media world.

From The Daily Beast

But with the world watching Monday, he will get a second chance to sum up this era and his administration.

From The Daily Beast

John McCormarck also wonders if there is a real story here: To sum up: neither Grenell nor Romney camp claims he was pushed out.

From The Daily Beast

What a masterly grouping of the events and personages which sum up and symbolise the whole essential history of the human race!

From Project Gutenberg

His portraits are just, and he leaves his reader to sum up the qualities of each.

From Project Gutenberg

To sum up, then, the claims of the Government during the past year on the continued confidence of the nation.

From Project Gutenberg

"The killed, wounded, and missing sum up a frightful total," the banker admitted.

From Project Gutenberg

He did so many little things just when they seemed to be so needed, that it is impossible to sum up their results.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• epitomize
• examine
• sum