executive summary

Meaning

A short section at the beginning of a long business document, report, or proposal. It summarizes the key points, findings, and recommendations so that busy decision-makers can understand the main message without reading the entire document.

Examples

• Please make sure the executive summary is clear and concise.

  Please make sure the executive summary is clear and concise.

• I only had time to read the executive summary before the meeting.

  I only had time to read the executive summary before the meeting.

• The executive summary highlights the project's main financial benefits.

  The executive summary highlights the project's main financial benefits.

• A good executive summary should stand alone as a complete document.

  A good executive summary should stand alone as a complete document.

• The proposal was fifty pages long, but the executive summary was only one page.

  The proposal was fifty pages long, but the executive summary was only one page.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I wrote an execute summary for the annual report.

  ✓ I wrote an executive summary for the annual report.

  Use the adjective 'executive' (relating to managers or decision-makers) rather than the verb 'execute'.

• ✗ The boss asked for a brief summary executive of the proposal.

  ✓ The boss asked for a brief executive summary of the proposal.

  In English, modifiers like 'executive' must come before the noun 'summary'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you don't have time to read the full proposal, just read the ___.

  💡 The short overview at the start of a report

  Show answer

  executive summary

• The investor made his decision after reading our two-page ___.

  💡 A concise summary for busy decision-makers

  Show answer

  executive summary