in a word
in a word
In summary; to say it briefly. The film was, in a word, dull. In a word, I'm quitting.
See also: word
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
in a word
Fig. said simply; concisely said. Mrs. Smith is—in a word—haughty. In a word, the play flopped.
See also: word
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
in a ˈword
(spoken) used for giving a very short, usually negative, answer or comment: In a word, ‘stupid’ is how I’d describe him.See also: word
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
in a word
In short; in summary: In a word, the situation is serious.
See also: word
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
in a word
Briefly, concisely. This expression, which is usually followed by a fair number of words—as in, “In a word, the bank is unable to accommodate Mr. Brown’s request for a loan”—was used by Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona (“And in a word . . . he is compleat in feature and in mind”). It was much favored by various of Dickens’s more verbose characters, such as Mr. Micawber.
See also: word
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- from the word go
- leave word
- word by word
- have word (from someone or something)
- keep (one's) word
- keep one's word
- keep word
- get word (from someone or something)
- receive word
- receive word (from someone or something)