an order to appear in person at a given place and time
"The judge read the summons, ordering him to appear in court on Monday morning."
a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
"After receiving the legal summons for his neighbor's property dispute, Mark realized he had no choice but to attend court or face an automatic loss."
A call to do something, especially to come.
"The judge issued a formal summons requiring the defendant to appear in court by Monday morning."
To serve someone with a summons.
"The judge will not issue a summons until all witnesses have been located."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of summon