subpoena

Or sub·pe·na

[suh-pee-nuh, suhb-]

noun

1. the usual writ for the summoning of witnesses or the submission of evidence, as records or documents, before a court or other deliberative body.

verb (used with object)

subpoenaed, subpoenaing 

1. to serve with a subpoena.

subpoena

/ səbˈpiːnə, səˈpiːnə /

noun

1. a writ issued by a court of justice requiring a person to appear before the court at a specified time

verb

1. (tr) to serve with a subpoena

subpoena

1. An order of a court, a legislature, or a grand jury compelling a witness to be present at a trial or hearing, under penalty of fine or imprisonment. Subpoena is Latin for “under penalty.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of subpoena¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin sub poenā “under penalty” (the first words of the writ)

Word History and Origins

Origin of subpoena¹

C15: from Latin: under penalty

Example Sentences

Mr. Smith’s lawyers are punching back, recently sending Mr. Grassley a letter protesting that all the prosecutor’s subpoenas—including for phone tolling data for numerous Republican senators—were “proper, lawful” and had been approved.

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On social media, FBI Director Kash Patel said he would fired “those who acted unethically,” and opened an investigation into Smith’s subpoenas of the senators’ phone records.

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The public-private arrangement lets the firm employ the powers of a government subpoena to gather information that it can then deploy elsewhere.

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The Justice Department escalated the fight months later, launching a criminal probe into Bolton’s handling of the information and issuing grand jury subpoenas to him and his literary agent.

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U.S. lawmakers in July subpoenaed U.S. banks, including JPMorgan and Bank of America, seeking documents related to their work on CATL’s listing after the Pentagon said the battery maker was working with China’s military.

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Related Words

• decree 
• mandate 
• summons 
• warrant