summon
Americanverb (used with object)
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summons,
present (3rd person singular)
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summoned,
past participle, past
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summoning
present participle
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to call upon to do something specified.
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to call for the presence of, as by command, message, or signal; call.
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to call or notify to appear at a specified place, especially before a court.
to summon a defendant.
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to authorize or order a gathering of; call together by authority, as for deliberation or action.
to summon parliament.
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to call into action; rouse; call forth (often. followed byup ).
to summon all one's courage.
verb
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to order to come; send for, esp to attend court, by issuing a summons
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to order or instruct (to do something) or call (to something)
the bell summoned them to their work
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to call upon to meet or convene
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(often foll by up) to muster or gather (one's strength, courage, etc)
Synonym Usage
See call.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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summonsimple
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summonssimple
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have summonedperfect
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has summonedperfect
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am summoningprogressive
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are summoningprogressive
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is summoningprogressive
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have been summoningperfect progressive
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has been summoningperfect progressive
Past
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summonedsimple
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had summonedperfect
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was summoningprogressive
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were summoningprogressive
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had been summoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of summon
First recorded in 1175–1225; from Medieval Latin summonēre “to summon,” Latin: “to remind unofficially, suggest,” equivalent to sum- sum- + monēre “to remind, warn”; replacing Middle English somonen, from Old French semondre, somondre, from unattested Vulgar Latin summonere, Latin summonēre, as above
Explanation
To summon is to formally call for the presence of someone. If, as soccer team captain, you find that your team members are an hour late for the big game, you might need to summon them — and fast. Summon can also mean “gather up,” as one might summon one’s courage" before that big game. Summon is also occasionally used in reference to the supernatural, as when one tries to call forth a spirit or ghost. If you think the team needs additional help on the field, you might try to summon some supernatural backup.
Vocabulary lists containing summon
List 4
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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:
She said she was "incredibly traumatised and not able to summon help", then dialled 999 in desperation.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
We have to summon what we think is important about being people, both for ourselves and for our kids.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
But know only that in its opening minutes we learn that we have been swindled and are now part of a ritual of sorts to summon said alien.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Captain Siya Kolisi has called on the Springboks to summon inspiration from Soweto's pivotal part in South Africa's history as they take on New Zealand on the edge of the Johannesburg township on Saturday.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
He believes witches can summon up storms that sink ships at sea—James had almost lost his life in such a storm.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
But a change of address meant he missed a court summons, triggering a deportation order that ICE agents noticed.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Lawyers for Black, who has sued over the summons, called the contempt move "outrageous".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The following day, police sergeant Sidney Short served him with a summons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
A Salvadoran woman who had lived in the U.S. since the 1980s held a summons for an immigration hearing while commenting that Navarette looked better than she had in a while.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
She summons the strength and the anger from the miles and the crossing and the people she’s met.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Bozell was first summoned by the government in March, just three weeks after taking up his post, after comments over the same issue.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
But on two occasions when guards summoned Kao over the intercom, he refused to enter the visitation room.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
In June 2018, Ira and her father were summoned to a hotel near the school, she says, where she met Bechi's mother, Nyai Shofwatul Ummah.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Juries do not typically sit for inquests but can be summoned in certain circumstances.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“You gave blood, and so you summoned those who share that blood. You called on your foremothers, and they answered.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
As Marzio sang his only aria, summoning Farnace to war, he changed his outfit, making Farnace hand him armor pieces like a servant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Listening to Xiu Xiu’s “Eraserhead” on a hot and stormy Friday afternoon is an atavistic summoning of the many gifts that David Lynch left us to remember him by.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
A guard yelled into the common room, summoning Wilber during the early afternoon of June 26.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
India has also lodged a strong protest with Washington over the strike, summoning a senior US diplomat and calling for an end to attacks on commercial vessels in the region.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
She stared into her gray eyes and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, summoning the words of her oath as if they were an incantation.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
