summons 1 of 2

as in warrant
a written notice ordering a person to appear in court if you ignore a court summons, you will be fined

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summons

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of summon
1
2
as in gathers
to call into being through the use of one's inner resources or powers managed to summon a bright smile despite the gloomy day

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

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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 summons
Noun
A question of intent About 10 months later, troopers returned to Whittier and issued court summonses to Pese, eight other relatives and one man who was not related but came from the same American Samoa village as Pese. Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025 Last month, his NYPD started handing out criminal instead of civil summonses to bike riders for running red lights or otherwise riding recklessly, a drastic shift that has outraged transit advocates and City Council members who note car drivers do not face such penalties for similar infractions. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
Verb
In November 2023, Ivanka Trump was summonsed to the New York State Supreme Court to testify against her father, Donald Trump, in a civil real estate fraud trial. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2024 He has not been arrested or summonsed, but police Monday said the incident is still being investigated. Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for summons
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summons
Noun
  • Criminal warrants are under 25CR*, search warrants 25SW*, lawsuits 25CV* and infractions under 25IF*.
    Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
  • One critic of Johnson’s decision to back off a no-knock warrant ban in the new version came from an unlikely corner of the City Council.
    Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Dorothy's entourage accompanying her through Oz includes the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, much like Michelle's trek gathers the Kid Cosmo robot, Keats, and the quirky size-swapping 'bot called Herman.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Its workforce is being slashed in half, and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.
    Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • One subpoena that was sent to the Department of Justice asks that all Epstein files in its possession, as well as any communications between former Biden administration officials and the DOJ related to the case, be handed over to Congress.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Advertisement The subpoenas come nearly two weeks after one of the panel’s subcommittees voted to compel the Justice Department to release the files, just before the House left for its summer recess.
    Nik Popli, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Although, therefore, a mandamus may be directed to courts, yet to issue such a writ to an officer for the delivery of a paper, is in effect the same as to sustain an original action for that paper, and therefore seems not to belong to appellate, but to original jurisdiction.
    Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 29 July 2025
  • Rebirth in this thrillingly massive symphony for a massive orchestra and chorus, along with soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, was writ exceedingly large, transparent and loud.
    Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • Every facility in Illinois gets directions to make sure that anyone who asks to fast during Ramadan is allowed and able to do so, Easton said.
    Shanzeh Ahmad, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
  • With Richie in Kiko's crosshairs and the clock ticking, Conrad asks his wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren), to make the decision.
    Matt Cabral, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • As the group assembles in the Werk Room, Jewels, who won the bottom-two lip-sync against Arrietty, reads her sister's lipstick mirror message, which sends shockwaves through the room.
    EW.com, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
  • To describe this dystopian reality, Clapp assembles a narrative that is part history, part sociology, part horrifying travelogue.
    Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The show hails from Morgan's 30 Rock costar Tina Fey, who will executive-produce alongside her former 30 Rock creative teammates Robert Carlock and Sam Means.
    Jessica Wang, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The series hails from Apple Studios and is produced by Tropper Ink.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Summons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summons. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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