summon

summon — verb

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

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • dismiss

    to allow someone to leave or to end a meeting

文法句型

summon + sb + to + place/event

summon + sb + to do sth

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

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • lose

    to have one's courage or strength fail

  • surrender

    to give in to fear or exhaustion instead of fighting it

文法句型

summon + courage/strength/energy + to do sth

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

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.