summon

play

verb sum·mon \ ˈsə-mən \

Definition of summon

summoned; summoning play \ˈsə-mə-niŋ, ˈsəm-niŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to issue a call to convene :convoke

2 :to command by service of a summons to appear in court

3 :to call upon for specified action

4 :to bid to come :send for

summon a physician

5 :to call forth :evoke —often used with up

—

summonable

play \ˈsə-mə-nə-bəl\ adjective

—

summoner

play \ˈsə-mə-nər, ˈsəm-nər\ noun

See summon defined for English-language learners

See summon defined for kids

Examples of summon in a Sentence

The queen summoned him back to the palace.
without explanation, the managing editor summoned me to his office

Recent Examples of summon from the Web

No private jets summoned at a moment’s notice for Leo DiCaprio on this trip!

— richard lawson, vanityfair.com, "Even Leonardo DiCaprio’s Enchanted Life Includes Airport Delays," 10 Aug. 2017
The kid whistles, summoning a horse from a copse of mesquite.

— Longreads, "And How Much of These Hills Is Gold," 3 Aug. 2017
If garbage is piling up, new digital tools let citizens visit the city’s Facebook page and summon services within seconds.

— george anders, The Atlantic, "The Unexpected Value of the Liberal Arts," 1 Aug. 2017
Public records show Walgren, a junior at Naperville North, was summoned Jan. 11 to meet with Dean Stephen Madden and Heun, who is assigned to the campus.

— stacy st. clair, chicagotribune.com, "Internal investigation clears Naperville police officer in teen's suicide," 19 July 2017
Bartender Aaron Melendrez crafts cocktails that summon the flavors of the Baja countryside.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Last year, Anderson was tied with Zawaski after 27 holes and fell behind by two on the back nine when the lightning horn summoned golfers off Springbrook.

— gene chamberlain, Naperville Sun, "Erik Anderson and Joe Zawaski can settle score in Naperville Men's Amateur," 13 July 2017
The murders rocked the small island and summoned a wave of law enforcement authorities from the United States to conduct the investigation.

— azam ahmed, New York Times, "Convicted of Murder, and Now Swept Up in U.S.-Cuba Shift," 8 July 2017
But the House, which had approved the fiscal blueprint Sunday night with veto-proof majorities, has failed to summon enough members the last two days to take action.

— john o'connor, The Seattle Times, "Illinois governor urges House not to undo budget plan veto," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'summon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of summon

Middle English somnen, somonen, from Anglo-French somondre, from Vulgar Latin *summonere, alteration of Latin summonēre to remind secretly, from sub- secretly + monēre to warn — more at sub-, mind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

summon Synonyms

Synonyms

call, hail, send for

Related Words

cite, subpoena; assemble, call out, call up, convene, convoke, muster; ask, bid, invite; command, order, request, requisition; beckon, demand, invoke; buzz, knell, page, ring, whistle

Near Antonyms

dismiss, send (away), turn away; banish, boot (out), cast out, drum (out), eject, expel, kick out, oust, out, rout, run off, throw out, turf (out) [chiefly British]

Synonym Discussion of summon

summon, call, cite, convoke, convene, muster mean to demand the presence of. summon implies the exercise of authority.

- was summoned to answer charges

call may be used less formally for summon.

- called the legislature into special session

cite implies a summoning to court usually to answer a charge.

- cited for drunken driving

convoke implies a summons to assemble for deliberative or legislative purposes.

- convoked a Vatican council

convene is somewhat less formal than convoke.

- convened the students

muster suggests a calling up of a number of things that form a group in order that they may be exhibited, displayed, or utilized as a whole.

- mustered the troops

SUMMON Defined for English Language Learners

summon

play

verb

Definition of summon for English Language Learners

: to order (someone) to come to a place
: to order (someone) to appear in a court of law
: to ask for (someone or something) to come : to send or call for (someone or something)