# summon

/ˈsəmən/ (US) · /sˈʌmən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/summon
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to call someone officially

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to officially order someone to come to a place, especially a court of law.

For teachers: to command someone to appear in a specific location, typically for a legal or official purpose. Transitive; requires a direct object.

- The judge decided to summon the witness to testify in court next week.
- The committee exercised its legal authority to summon the chief executive for questioning regarding the company's recent financial discrepancies.

### 2. to gather strength

verb · CEFR B2

to find the courage, energy, or strength you need to do something.

For teachers: to rouse or muster a particular quality or internal resource, such as courage or energy, from within oneself.

- She had to summon all her courage to tell her boss that she was quitting.
- He struggled to summon the necessary concentration to finish the report after working for twelve hours without a break.

### 3. to call together

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to call a group of people together for a meeting.

For teachers: to convene or convoke a formal assembly or meeting.

- The president decided to summon a special meeting of the council.
- The monarch summoned the parliament to address the urgent matter of the border dispute.

### 4. to call by magic

verb · CEFR B2

to make a spirit or creature appear using magic.

For teachers: to call upon a supernatural being or resource through magical means.

- In the story, the wizard used an old book to summon a dragon.
- The ritual was designed to summon ancestral spirits to provide guidance for the tribe's future.

### 5. a traffic fine

noun · CEFR C1 · Dialect · Slang · Informal

a ticket or fine for a small crime, like parking in the wrong place.

For teachers: a notice of a legal infringement or the resulting monetary penalty, particularly for traffic violations.

- He got a summon for speeding on his way to work this morning.
- The driver was frustrated to find a summon on his windshield after leaving his car in a restricted zone for only five minutes.

Usage: Commonly used as a noun in Malaysian and Singaporean English where other dialects would use 'fine' or 'ticket'.

Teaching tip: This noun usage is highly regional; in standard British or American English, 'summons' is the standard noun form for a legal order.

## Examples

- The manager summoned the team for a quick meeting.
- She summoned all her patience to explain the rules to the noisy children.
- The director summoned the actors to the stage, where the heavy silence of the audience waited for their first line.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.