subpoena

1 of 2

noun

sub·​poe·​na sə-ˈpē-nə 

nonstandard

-nē 

: a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure

subpoena

2 of 2

verb

subpoenaed; subpoenaing

transitive verb

: to serve or summon with a writ of subpoena

Did you know?

The Origin of Subpoena

If you think you recognize the sub- in subpoena as the prefix meaning "under, beneath, below," you're on target. Subpoena arrived in Modern English (via the Middle English suppena) from the Latin sub poena, a combination of sub and poena, meaning "penalty." Other poena descendants in English include impunity ("freedom from penalty"), penal ("of or relating to punishment"), and even punish. There is also the verb subpoena, as in "Defense lawyers have subpoenaed several witnesses to the crime."

Synonyms of subpoena

Noun

• summons

Examples of subpoena in a Sentence

Noun

received a subpoena to appear as a witness for the prosecution

Verb

He was subpoenaed to testify in a hearing.

The prosecutor subpoenaed the defendant's financial records.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The agency acknowledged that other options were available, including issuing administrative subpoenas, imposing monetary penalties and holding hearings. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026

The only way to make the bad guys sweat is to hand them a subpoena — or, at the least, to depict them unflatteringly on television. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

All nine commissioners were subpoenaed last month along with other county officials. — Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Or, in trying to make AI hardware more palatable, are tech companies relying on what can be subpoenaed in court? — Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English suppena, from Latin sub poena under penalty

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1640, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing subpoena

• subpoena ad testificandum
• subpoena duces tecum

Rhymes for subpoena

• arena
• athena
• cantina
• carina
• carmina
• catena
• czarina
• domina
• farina
• galena
• glossina
• hyena

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Kids Definition

subpoena

1 of 2 noun

sub·​poe·​na sə-ˈpē-nə 

: an order in writing commanding a person named in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure to appear

subpoena

2 of 2 verb

subpoenaed; subpoenaing

: to serve or summon with a subpoena

Etymology

Noun

from the Latin phrase sub poena "under penalty"; used as the beginning words of the order

Legal Definition

subpoena

1 of 2 noun

sub·​poe·​na

variants also subpena

sə-ˈpē-nə

: a writ commanding a designated person upon whom it has been served to appear (as in court or before a congressional committee) under a penalty (as a charge of contempt) for failure to comply compare summons

subpoena

2 of 2 transitive verb

variants also subpena

subpoenaed; subpoenaing

: to call before a court or hearing by a subpoena

the inspector is given the power to subpoena any relevant…witnesses

—Harvard Law Review

also : to command the production of (evidence) by a subpoena duces tecum

subpoenaed documents

Etymology

Noun

Latin sub poena under penalty