summon
/'sʌmən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To order or request someone to come or be present: To formally or authoritatively call someone to appear at a specific place.
- To call forth or gather (a quality, feeling, or resource): To make an effort to bring something intangible, like courage or energy, into use.
- To order someone to appear in a court of law: To issue a legal command for a person to attend court.
Usage and Examples
- To order or request someone's presence:
- The manager summoned her to his office for a meeting.
- The king summoned his advisors to the council chamber.
- To call forth an internal quality or resource:
- He had to summon all his strength to lift the heavy box.
- She summoned her courage and walked onto the stage.
- To issue a legal order:
- The judge summoned the witness to testify.
- He was summoned to appear before the committee.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "to summon up": This phrasal verb is specifically used for gathering intangible things like emotions, memories, or energy.
- She tried to summon up the memory of her childhood home.
- You need to summon up the energy to finish this task.
- The act of summoning often implies authority, urgency, or formality. It is not a casual invitation.
Variants and Related Words
- Summons (noun): An official order to appear in court.
- He received a summons for jury duty.
- Summoner (noun): A person who summons, though this is a less common term.
Synonyms
- Call: To ask someone to come (less formal).
- Convene: To bring people together for a meeting.
- Muster: To assemble or gather, especially troops or courage.
- Evoke: To bring a feeling, memory, or image to mind (closer to "summon up").
Phrasal Verbs
- Summon up: To gather or call forth something non-physical, such as courage, strength, or a memory.
- He couldn't summon up any enthusiasm for the project.
Related Idioms
- Summon (someone/something) to one's aid: To call for help or support.
- In his desperation, he summoned all his willpower to his aid.
- Answer the summons: To obey an official order to appear.
- The defendant answered the summons and appeared in court.
Verb
- make ready for action or use
- marshal resources
- gather or bring together
- muster the courage to do something
- she rallied her intellect
- Summon all your courage
- ask to come
- summon a lawyer
- call in an official matter, such as to attend court