Pronunciation: /ˈsʌmənz/

Definitions of summons

noun a written order to appear before a court or judge

Example Sentences

A1 The police officer delivered a summons to the suspect.

A2 She received a summons to appear in court for jury duty.

B1 The company issued a summons for all employees to attend a meeting.

B2 The lawyer prepared a summons to be served to the defendant.

C1 The judge signed a summons for the witness to testify in court.

C2 The government official issued a summons for the CEO to testify before the committee.

verb to order someone to come to a place

Example Sentences

A1 The teacher summons the students to the front of the class.

A2 The boss summons the employees for a meeting.

B1 The court summons the defendant to appear for the trial.

B2 The general summons the troops for a briefing.

C1 The CEO summons the board of directors to discuss the company's future.

C2 The president summons the ambassadors for an emergency summit.

Examples of summons in a Sentence

formal The judge issued a summons for the witness to appear in court.

informal I got a summons in the mail for jury duty next week.

slang I can't believe I got a summons for parking in a no-parking zone.

figurative The sound of the church bells was like a summons to prayer.

Grammatical Forms of summons

past tense

summoned

plural

summonses

comparative

more summons

superlative

most summons

present tense

summons

future tense

will summon

perfect tense

have summoned

continuous tense

is summoning

singular

summons

positive degree

summons

infinitive

to summon

gerund

summoning

participle

summoned

Origin and Evolution of summons

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Old French/Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'summons' originated from the Old French word 'somondre' which comes from the Latin word 'summonere', meaning 'to remind privately, to call secretly'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in legal contexts to refer to a call to appear before a court, the word 'summons' has evolved to also mean a formal call to someone to be present or to do something.