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
After Yoon refused multiple summonses to appear for questioning, a Seoul court issued a warrant for his arrest. Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025 The court also granted the IRS authority to serve summonses on numerous financial institutions and courier services such as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, HSBC Bank, Citibank, FedEx Corporation, DHL Express and United Parcel Service. Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
She was arrested and summonsed at least four times in the years leading up to her election to Congress in 2020. John Aguilar The Denver Post (tns), al, 12 Sep. 2023 Gaud was transported to a local hospital for treatment, the statement said, and will be summonsed to court at a later date. Claire Law, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for summons
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summons
Noun
  • While police in Boston may not respond to a civil detainer filed by federal agencies, the Boston Police Department does not ever, the mayor said, ignore a criminal warrant due to suspect’s immigration status.
    Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration is prepared to handle any situation stemming from an ICC arrest warrant, the president's communications secretary, Jay Ruiz, said.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Much of the tension in the story gathers around the mystery of Bea’s unbreakable devotion to this man.
    Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
  • It’s set during the civil war in the Central African Republic in 2013, when on Christmas Eve, a desperate Muslim man seeks refuge at a field hospital, while a threatening Christian militia gathers outside, demanding his life.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • One subpoena served in April requested personnel and disciplinary files for almost 30 individuals.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The subpoenas seek information on the companies' compliance with foreign laws, regulations or judicial orders.
    Susan Heavey, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In furtherance of this point, the book notes that the longstanding notion that the high Pentagon budgets justified by great power rivalry are good for the economy writ large is highly misleading.
    William Hartung, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The crypto industry writ large ended up as the largest source of political donations during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
    Rob Wile, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Young asks if the potential customer has a corporate sponsor and cites companies including Audible and Bloomberg as clients.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Advertisement The suit asks the courts to block the law from going into effect.
    Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Apple also assembles the majority of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks and other accessories in China (in Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Zhengzhou), through its contract manufacturing partner, Foxconn.
    Shimite Obialo, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
  • In this Christmas caper, fifth-grader Andy (Winslow Fegley) assembles a group of talented youngsters to game Santa’s system and prove that naughty is in the eye of the beholder.
    Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Governor as activist Marwan hails from an elite Damascus family and grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in the capital.
    Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
  • This example, from Craft + Tailored, hails from 1991, and boats original chamfers on the lugs throughout.
    Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Summons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summons. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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