SUMMONS Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

summons 1 of 2

noun

ˈsə-mənz

Definition of summons

as in warrant

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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summons

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of summon

as in calls

to demand or request the presence or service of without explanation, the managing editor summoned me to his office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in musters

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

The number of summonses for low-level offenses, including criminal summonses, has risen during his tenure. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026 They were eventually arrested and are expected to be issued summonses and released. — Ali Bauman, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026

Verb

Furniture, toys, and (almost) everything else Really Really Free Market is also in the business of free clothing, but the event summons Hoosiers bearing tradable goods of all sorts. — Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 3 Aug. 2026 Their identities are revealed by a mechanical fortune teller named The Amazing Karnak (Sydney Harmon), who summons the memories of each teen in order to give one lucky soul a chance to return to life. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for summons

Recent Examples of Synonyms for summons

Noun

And then, one day, several police cars descend on the house with a warrant to confiscate Philip’s computer and hard drives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
No, but the hypothetical certainly warrants more than the ~3-4 paragraphs that each player in this puff piece was given.

— Senior Football, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of warrant

Verb

Ratliff calls Talarico the best person in the race before the video flips to Smith, who represented House District 92 in Tarrant County for eight terms, before leaving the House in January 2013.

— Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Bhaghani calls Chesney’s pregame speech before UCLA’s win at Oregon his favorite so far this season.

— Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of calls

Verb

The new book also gathers behind-the-scenes photos from the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, which returned to theaters for a limited engagement in 2023.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Atlas Workshops is one prong of Marrakech’s Atlas Programs banner, which gathers the professional initiatives of the Marrakech International Film Festival.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of gathers

Verb

Catherine’s story line evokes a feverish what-if scenario in which a survivor musters the requisite recklessness, talent for murder, and wig collection to mete out retribution.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Every writer on our longlist brilliantly musters the power of words on the page to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 28 July 2026

Definition of musters

Noun

In the other, the department seeks to quash the subpoena and transfer that dispute to the Miami court.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Also Tuesday, Rachel Evans, an attorney in the California secretary of state’s office, wrote in an affidavit that the office since August has received and been complying with grand jury subpoenas for the detailed voter records of about 300 people.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of subpoena

Verb

On his latest solo album, the Tonstartssbandht guitarist/vocalist crafts a serene, psychedelic opus that invites us to become immersed.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
That’s left a vacuum that invites endless speculation and interpretation of what’s happening out of view.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of invites

Verb

Silfab is a Canadian company that manufactures and assembles solar panels.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2026
Simpler battery packs lower costs The company buys battery cells and assembles its own packs rather than manufacturing the cells themselves.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of assembles

Noun

This story has been updated to include the writ of habeus corpus filed by the Tates’ legal team on Wednesday.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Although his official writ covers only civilian affairs and not military policy, Netanyahu gave him a completely free hand, and Smotrich has used it to full effect.

— Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of writ

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summoning

summons

summonses

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Style

“Summons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summons. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of summons

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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