1
2
as in to gather
to call into being through the use of one's inner resources or powers managed to summon a bright smile despite the gloomy day

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to muster
to bring together in assembly by or as if by command summoned a special session of parliament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word summon different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of summon are call, cite, convene, convoke, and muster. While all these words mean "to demand the presence of," summon implies the exercise of authority.

was summoned to answer charges

How are the words call and summon related?

Call may be used less formally for summon.

called the legislature into special session

When can cite be used instead of summon?

In some situations, the words cite and summon are roughly equivalent. However, cite implies a summoning to court usually to answer a charge.

cited for drunken driving

How do convene and convoke relate to one another, in the sense of summon?

Convene is somewhat less formal than convoke.

convened the students

When is convoke a more appropriate choice than summon?

The words convoke and summon can be used in similar contexts, but convoke implies a summons to assemble for deliberative or legislative purposes.

convoked a Vatican council

When might muster be a better fit than summon?

Although the words muster and summon have much in common, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of summon Waymo disputes this, saying that the vehicles were present at the scene of the protests, not summoned with the intention of being set on fire. Charles Singh, USA Today, 12 June 2025 One sequence in the film — a sprawling battle that plays out in a baseball field and is orchestrated from afar by Luthor — sees Angela summon swarms of nanobots running throughout her body to create razor-sharp throwing discs. EW.com, 10 June 2025 Dunk ’em into sour cream to summon Hanukkah any time of year. Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 June 2025 Now Qasem Hassan and her colleagues were summoned to meet with Adi Ivzori-Erel and Merav Sudarsky, who lead the academic program at the continuing-education school. Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for summon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summon
Verb
  • However, today most young people rarely call each other.
    Andrea Wigfield, CNN, 14 Feb. 2023
  • Marx himself would call DEI a classic case of ideology, a set of benign-seeming ideas that disguise the workings of the rulers, in this case empowered progressives.
    WSJ, WSJ, 14 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • Times pop music critic Mikael Wood and staff writer August Brown gathered to discuss the box set and what to make of its bounty.
    Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
  • Despite its enormous size, Apophis will not impact Earth in 2029, but its very close pass is a once-on-a-lifetime opportunity to gather data that could be critical for humanity’s future.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • The largest single barrage Iran could muster throughout the war was just 100 missiles.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2025
  • Guess his teammates are still too thrilled to have met Trump at the White House earlier this year to muster up the energy to say anything?
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Hostin asked on Friday's show, after co-host Joy Behar prompted her to tell their co-hosts that day, including Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro, what had happened.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 21 June 2025
  • This jazzy riff on humanity and the hereafter brings a cartoon New York City to vibrant, diverse life with Pixar's first Black lead character, a band teacher (played by Jamie Foxx) who meets a jaded soul (Tina Fey), and asks big questions about the meaning of life.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • While the administration has so far avoided direct military engagement, U.S. officials confirmed that the USS Nimitz carrier strike group has been deployed to the region, and Trump convened his National Security Council to discuss possible options.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
  • Before planning sprints or writing any code, convene all your leads—cloud, data, AI and automation—and co-create a high-level architecture that shows how systems will interact.
    Navdeep Malik, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • According to Baraka’s lawsuit, Representative McIver had invited him to meet with the congressional delegation outside the facility after their tour.
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 18 June 2025
  • Low-risk contraband becomes a foothold for violent enterprise, just as one unfixed broken window once invited squatters, then burglars, then gangs.
    Edgar Domenech, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Analysts say it is used to develop and assemble centrifuges for uranium enrichment, a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
  • At the head of assembling these dream weekends of music is CEO Sarah Pancheri, who took over that role in 2024.
    Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Summon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summon. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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