subpoena
Americannoun
-
subpoenas
plural
verb (used with object)
-
subpoenas,
present (3rd person singular)
-
subpoenaed,
past participle, past
-
subpoenaing
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
subpoenasimple
-
subpoenassimple
-
have subpoenaedperfect
-
has subpoenaedperfect
-
am subpoenaingprogressive
-
are subpoenaingprogressive
-
is subpoenaingprogressive
-
have been subpoenaingperfect progressive
-
has been subpoenaingperfect progressive
Past
-
subpoenaedsimple
-
had subpoenaedperfect
-
was subpoenaingprogressive
-
were subpoenaingprogressive
-
had been subpoenaingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subpoena
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin sub poenā “under penalty” (the first words of the writ)
Explanation
A subpoena is a document that requires its recipient to appear in court as a witness. If you receive a subpoena, it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong; it just means you may have information that's needed by the court. Subpoena can also be a verb: You can subpoena someone by giving them a subpoena. If you receive a subpoena but fail to carry out its instructions, you're in big trouble. This fact is suggested by the Latin roots of this word: the prefix sub- means "under" and poena means "penalty." One nice thing about a subpoena is that it's not a summons; if you get one of those, it means you're being sued.
Vocabulary lists containing subpoena
Latin Root "sub" Words
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, immediately launched a thorough investigation, filing multiple subpoena requests in federal district court seeking information on the leakers from Microsoft, Discord, X and YouTube.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Eighteen years later, the FBI would hand the notebook page to the court in the 9/11 families' lawsuit, following a subpoena.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Six years ago, county voters approved a measure granting the commission subpoena powers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
DHS meanwhile issued a subpoena for the same records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I couldn’t understand why Cherry’s attorney would serve me with a subpoena.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
And the Civilian Oversight Commission filed suit against the department in June for declining to provide certain records related to three cases of use of force the commission issued subpoenas for in February 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Both health systems, which previously received subpoenas for patient information, have denied wrongdoing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
We’ve heard nothing about access and audit-log analysis, government computer and phone forensics, or efforts to obtain third-party communications — which can involve subpoenas, court orders or warrants.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Civilian Oversight Commission has said that such assertions are unfounded, and that state law and court precedent require its subpoenas to be upheld.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Though the subpoenas had finally stopped coming, Deborah didn’t believe the lawsuit was truly over.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Also as a result of her piece, she was slapped with a one-million-dollar libel suit, subpoenaed as a witness in a liquor laws case against the Playboy Club, and received “obscene and threatening” calls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
In Stearns County in central Minnesota, HSI agents subpoenaed voting histories on 13 people, county officials told ProPublica.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Paul, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, had subpoenaed the now-retired Fauci to testify, and prior to the hearing released thousands of pages of the immunologist's unredacted personal diary.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
On this day in 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that President Richard Nixon must turn over subpoenaed White House tapes, unanimously rejecting claims the president has the right to keep his government affairs secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But when I spoke with Doug Jones, the attorney for the prosecution and a friend of mine, I discovered that Bobby Cherrys attorney had subpoenaed me to testify as a witness for the defense\ “What?”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
After subpoenaing records on about 130 people, only one had been referred for prosecution, his staff had told him.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Critics said profit had become more important than the supporter experience, with the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey subpoenaing Fifa to answer questions about its ticketing practices.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
If they believe there is a potential case to be made, they could also start subpoenaing bank records, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
“Recent events, however, have cast a chilling shadow over their pursuits. Law-enforcement agencies have resorted to clandestine tactics, subpoenaing emails and phone records in an effort to unmask confidential sources.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
The German had swung around toward the men behind him, as though he were subpoenaing them as witnesses.
From Captain Macklin by Richard Harding Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
