summon

verb

sum·mon | \ ˈsə-mən

summoned; summoning\ ˈsə-mə-niŋ

, ˈsəm-niŋ \

Definition of summon

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

Other Words from summon Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about summon

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Other Words from summon

summonable \ ˈsə-mə-nə-bəl

\ adjective

summoner \ ˈsə-mə-nər

, ˈsəm-nər \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

That criticism came to a head in 2018, when users and regulators started to seriously question the company’s data practices, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was summoned to Washington to explain it all before Congress. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "Facebook still hasn’t launched a big privacy feature that Mark Zuckerberg promised more than seven months ago," 17 Dec. 2018 Seven years ago, Hendel was a 36-year-old reserve officer and university lecturer who’d recently published a book called Let the IDF Win when he was summoned to a meeting at the prime minister’s residence. — Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Benjamin Netanyahu Could Be Heading for a Fifth Term. Or to Court," 14 June 2018 Cherchesov, widely criticized before the tournament, hadn’t even finished his attempt at levity before he was summoned away from the post-game news conference to take a call. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "Russia beats Saudi Arabia 5-0 for first World Cup win in 16 years," 14 June 2018 Customers will be able to order groceries from a mobile app, much as people summon an Uber or Lyft ride. — BostonGlobe.com, "Rubius Therapeutics to build manufacturing facility in R.I.," 29 June 2018 All eyes turned to Washington as lawmakers summoned Zuckerberg to account for his company’s response, or lack thereof. — Madison Sherman, Teen Vogue, "Why Facebook Privacy Doesn’t Worry Us," 18 Apr. 2018 On Wednesday, the Saudi Royal Court said the anticorruption committee summoned 381 individuals to face indictments or testify and reached monetary settlements with 87 who confessed to charges presented to them. ... — Rory Jones And Summer Said, WSJ, "Saudi Arabia Closes Corruption Crackdown, Courts Investors," 30 Jan. 2019 Hellboy is a half-demon from Hell who was summoned to Earth as a baby by Nazi occultists and raised by a surrogate human father, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Big Red’s Right Hand of Doom is back in fiery new Hellboy trailer," 20 Dec. 2018 Dominic Cummings, the man at the heart of HBO’s film, has refused to appear before a House of Commons committee inquiry into fake news, which has also summoned the former head of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix. — Rachel Withers, Vox, "Brits want an official investigation into the Brexit Leave campaign. They’re getting an HBO drama instead.," 15 Dec. 2018

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.

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Last Updated

25 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for summon

The first known use of summon was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for summon

summon

verb

English Language Learners Definition of summon

formal

: 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)

See the full definition for summon in the English Language Learners Dictionary

summon

verb

sum·mon | \ ˈsə-mən

summoned; summoning

Kids Definition of summon

1 : to call or send for : convene The clerk … summoned a bellboy and handed him a key. “Take this gentleman to his room!”— E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan

2 : to order to appear before a court of law

3 : to call into being : arouse She tried to summon up courage.