summon

summon — verb

1. to officially tell someone they must come to a place, or to call people together

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to officially tell someone they must come to a place, or to call people together for a formal meeting or assembly

Example

The judge summoned Ziad to appear as a witness in court.

summon sb to do sth — ordering a person to attend

Nadia's manager summoned all staff to an emergency meeting on Friday morning.

summon sb to [event] — calling people to a meeting

Common collocations
  • summon a witness
  • summon a meeting
  • summon parliament
  • summon to court
  • summon to appear
  • summon for questioning
  • summon before a committee
Synonyms
  • call

    less formal; can be used in everyday situations without authority

  • send for

    implies sending a messenger or request rather than a direct order

  • convene

    more formal; used specifically for meetings or assemblies rather than individuals

  • convoke

    very formal; used for legislative or official bodies only

Antonyms
  • dismiss

    to allow someone to leave or to end a meeting

Grammar Patterns

summon + sb + to + place/event

summon + sb + to do sth

summon + sth (a meeting, parliament, etc.)

Usage Note

Frequently used in official, legal, or workplace contexts. Common patterns: summon sb to sth (for a location or event), summon sb to do sth (for an action), and summon sth (for a meeting or assembly). The passive form is very common when the focus is on the person being ordered to attend.

Common Mistakes

I summoned my friend to come to the party.
I asked my friend to come to the party.
Summon is too formal for casual invitations; use ask, invite, or call in everyday situations.
The boss summoned him coming to her office.
The boss summoned him to her office.
After summon, use the to-infinitive (to come) or to + noun (to her office), not a present participle.

2. to force yourself to feel a particular inner quality, such as courage or energy,

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to force yourself to feel a particular inner quality, such as courage or energy, especially when it is difficult because you are tired, scared, or reluctant

Example

Ramón somehow summoned the courage to ask his boss for a raise.

summon + courage — gathering bravery for a difficult action

Nkechi summoned every bit of energy she had left and crossed the finish line.

summon + energy — drawing on remaining strength

Common collocations
  • summon courage
  • summon (up) the courage to do sth
  • summon strength
  • summon energy
  • summon enthusiasm
  • summon a smile
  • summon confidence
  • summon the nerve
Synonyms
  • muster

    very similar; often used in 'muster up the courage'; slightly more informal

  • call on

    implies drawing on a reserve; slightly less forceful than summon

  • gather

    less effortful; can also apply to physical objects (gather one's things)

  • rally

    often implies recovering strength with the support of others

Antonyms
  • lose

    to have one's courage or strength fail

  • surrender

    to give in to fear or exhaustion instead of fighting it

Grammar Patterns

summon + courage/strength/energy + to do sth

summon up + courage/strength/energy + to do sth

Usage Note

Often used with 'up' (summon up the courage), though 'up' can be omitted without a change in meaning. The object is typically an inner quality such as courage, strength, energy, nerve, or confidence, or a visible sign of effort such as a smile. This sense cannot be used with physical objects or money — use 'find', 'gather', or 'raise' instead.

Common Mistakes

She summoned the money to pay the rent.
She gathered the money to pay the rent.
Summon is for inner qualities and emotions, not for physical objects or money.
I summoned up to talk to her.
I summoned up the courage to talk to her.
Summon up must be followed by a noun phrase (the quality you are calling on), not used alone as a verb.
Phrasal verbs

summon up

phrasal verb

the same as sense 2 (muster an inner quality); 'up' adds emphasis but does not change meaning — e.g. summon up the courage, summon up the energy

Camille had to summon up all her confidence before stepping on stage.

Owen summoned up the strength to lift the heavy box one last time.

Word family

  • summons
    nounB2
  • summons
    verbC1
  • summoner
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Summon, call, send for, convene, and convoke all involve bringing someone somewhere, but they differ in formality and context. Summon is formal and implies authority — a judge summons a witness, a manager summons staff to a meeting. Call is the everyday word: you call a friend, call a taxi, call a meeting. Send for suggests the speaker dispatches someone else to bring the person, rather than contacting them directly ('send for a doctor'). Convene is used almost exclusively for meetings or assemblies ('convene a committee hearing'), while convoke is even more formal and reserved for official legislative bodies ('convoke parliament'). For a learner: use call for casual situations, summon for official orders, and convene/convoke only when writing about formal assemblies.

summon ↗call ↗send for ↗conveneconvoke

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • summon to appear
  • summon for questioning
  • summon before a committee
  • summon to the witness stand

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Summon entered English around the 13th century from Old French 'sumondre', which came from Latin 'summonēre' — a blend of 'sub-' (secretly) and 'monēre' (to warn). The original sense was 'to warn secretly or give a private notice', which later widened to 'call upon officially'. The modern meaning of gathering inner strength (sense 2) developed much later, in the 19th century, as a figurative extension of 'calling forth' something hidden within yourself.