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 Instead, intrigue is planted when Lo is summoned to meet Anne in her cabin the first night. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025 But few Dracula adaptations can summon the depth of feeling and atmospheric dread of Tod Browning's 1931 adaptation. Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025 McNeeley was among the first players summoned off the bench in the first quarter along with Mann. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025 In the spring of 1976 Lightfoot summoned his band to Eastern Sound Studios on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto for a five-day session, noon to six each day, to put Summertime Dream on vinyl. John U. Bacon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for summon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summon
Verb
  • Advertisement After consultations with Israeli officials, Qatari negotiators, and regional mediators, Witkoff and Kushner assembled a 20-point peace plan calling for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, Israeli security guarantees, the demilitarization of Gaza, and a new civilian governing authority.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Shortly after the painful loss, the nation’s president Nicolas Maduro called for a coaching change, and got one.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2025
  • CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Tigers mustered only four hits from the rest of their lineup.
    The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • At the start of the shutdown, Republicans held majorities in both the House and the Senate, but were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to get a spending bill through the upper chamber without Democrats crossing party lines.
    Chantelle Lee, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While other people were asking about promotions, titles, and raises, Burns was taking on the problems nobody else wanted to solve.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
  • McMahon has encouraged states to ask her to waive rules on spending the money.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Kobach has petitioned top Republican lawmakers to convene a special session with the goal of blocking the Kansas Department of Revenue from resuming its practice of accommodating gender marker change requests, according to a letter sent to GOP lawmakers and obtained by The Star.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Dozens of students and faculty members convened in front of the school’s South Building, with many individuals wearing masks and holding flags, WRAL reported.
    Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • To help her students investigate this assertion, Rovito designed an in-class activity that invites them to become more than a student of history.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 11 Oct. 2025
  • From thousands of applicants, Walmart invited more than 500 to visit Bentonville for the event.
    Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • All the while, the enchanted garden where Travis would get down on one knee was being assembled outside of his and Swift’s house.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The trailer shows Hemsworth’s Geralt assembling an army of adventurers to track down his former Witcher apprentice Ciri (Freya Allan).
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Summon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summon. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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