1 N‑COUNT A summer house is a small building in a garden. It contains seats, and people can sit there in the summer.
2 N‑COUNT Someone's summer house is a house in the country or by the sea where they spend the summer. □ He visited relatives at their summer house on the river.
su m|mer school (summer schools )
1 N‑VAR A summer school is an educational course on a particular subject that is run during the summer. The students usually stay at the place where the summer school is being held. [mainly BRIT ] □ …a summer school for young professional singers.
2 N‑VAR Summer school is a summer term at a school, college, or university, for example for students who need extra teaching or who want to take extra courses. [mainly AM ]
su m|mer time also summertime
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] Summer time is the period of time during which the summer lasts. □ It's a very beautiful place in the summertime.
2 → see also British Summer Time
sum|mery /sʌ məri/ ADJ Something that is summery is suitable for summer or characteristic of summer. □ …light summery fruit salads.
su mming-u p (summings-up ) also summing up N‑COUNT In a trial, the judge's summing-up is the speech the judge makes at the end of the trial to remind the jury of the evidence and the main arguments of the case they have heard. □ There was pandemonium in court as the judge gave his summing-up.
sum|mit ◆◆◇ /sʌ m I t/ (summits )
1 N‑COUNT A summit is a meeting at which the leaders of two or more countries discuss important matters. □ …next week's Washington summit. □ …the NATO summit meeting in Rome.
2 N‑COUNT The summit of a mountain is the top of it. □ …the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
sum|mon /sʌ mən/ (summons , summoning , summoned )
1 VERB If you summon someone, you order them to come to you. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Howe summoned a doctor and hurried over. □ [be V -ed prep/adv] Suddenly we were summoned to the interview room. □ [be V -ed to-inf] He has been summoned to appear in court on charges of incitement to law-breaking.
2 VERB If you summon a quality, you make a great effort to have it. For example, if you summon the courage or strength to do something, you make a great effort to be brave or strong, so that you will be able to do it. □ [V n] It took her a full month to summon the courage to tell her mother. ● PHRASAL VERB Summon up means the same as summon . □ [V P n] Painfully shy, he finally summoned up courage to ask her to a game.
▸ summon up PHRASAL VERB If something summons up a memory or thought, it causes it to come to your mind. [LITERARY ] □ [V P n] The oddest events will summon up memories.
sum|mons /sʌ mənz/ (summonses , summonsing , summonsed )
1 N‑COUNT A summons is an order to come and see someone. □ I received a summons to the Palace.
2 N‑COUNT A summons is an official order to appear in court. □ She had received a summons to appear in court.
3 VERB [usu passive] If someone is summonsed , they are officially ordered to appear in court. □ [be V -ed] The men were summonsed and last week 30 appeared before Hove magistrates.
sumo /suː moʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Sumo is the Japanese style of wrestling. □ …a sumo wrestler.
sump /sʌ mp/ (sumps )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] The sump is the place under an engine which holds the engine oil. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, use oil pan 2 N‑COUNT A sump is a deep cave which is often filled with water.
sump|tu|ous /sʌ mptʃuəs/ ADJ Something that is sumptuous is grand and obviously very expensive. □ She produces elegant wedding gowns in a variety of sumptuous fabrics.
su m to |tal N‑SING The sum total of a number of things is all the things added or considered together. You often use this expression to indicate that you are disappointed because the total amount is rather small. □ [+ of ] That small room contained the sum total of the family's possessions.
sun ◆◆◇ /sʌ n/ (suns )
1 N‑SING The sun is the ball of fire in the sky that the Earth goes round, and that gives us heat and light. □ The sun was now high in the southern sky. □ The sun came out, briefly. □ …the sun's rays. □ The sun was shining.
2 N‑UNCOUNT You refer to the light and heat that reach us from the sun as the sun . □ Dena took them into the courtyard to sit in the sun.
3 N‑COUNT A sun is any star which has planets going around it.
4 PHRASE Everything under the sun means a very great number of things. Anything under the sun means anything at all. □ We sat there for hours talking about everything under the sun.
5 a place in the sun → see place
Sun. Sun. is a written abbreviation for Sunday . □ The Palace is open Mon-Sun.
su n-baked ADJ [ADJ n] Sun-baked land or earth has been made hard and dry by the sun shining on it. □ …a dry, sun-baked lawn.
sun|bathe /sʌ nbe I θ/ (sunbathes , sunbathing , sunbathed ) VERB When people sunbathe , they sit or lie in a place where the sun shines on them, so that their skin becomes browner. □ [V ] Franklin swam and sunbathed at the pool every morning. ● sun|bather (sunbathers ) N‑COUNT □ A week ago Bournemouth beach was thronged with sunbathers soaking up the 80 degrees heat. ● sun|bath|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ Nearby there is a stretch of white sand beach perfect for sunbathing.