subpoena
1 of 2noun
sub·poe·na sə-ˈpē-nə 
nonstandard
-nē : a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure
subpoena
2 of 2verb
subpoenaed; subpoenaing
transitive verb
: to serve or summon with a writ of subpoena
Did you know?
The Origin of Subpoena
If you think you recognize the sub- in subpoena as the prefix meaning "under, beneath, below," you're on target. Subpoena arrived in Modern English (via the Middle English suppena) from the Latin sub poena, a combination of sub and poena, meaning "penalty." Other poena descendants in English include impunity ("freedom from penalty"), penal ("of or relating to punishment"), and even punish. There is also the verb subpoena, as in "Defense lawyers have subpoenaed several witnesses to the crime."
Synonyms
Noun
- process
- summons
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun received a subpoena to appear as a witness for the prosecution Verb He was subpoenaed to testify in a hearing. The prosecutor subpoenaed the defendant's financial records.
Recent Examples on the Web
Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2022 The court said the subpoena could only cover information involving financial connections between Trump or his businesses and government officials or agencies. Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2022 Investigators later reached him by phone and served a subpoena via email. Arden Farhi, Graham Kates, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2022 After a subpoena for the phone number was served, T-Mobile provided records that showed Terry's phone was in contact with the child's phone more than 140 times between April 26 and 29. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Sep. 2022 In a July 22 verdict, a federal jury in Washington said Mr. Bannon unlawfully defied a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Trump had returned 15 boxes of documents in January, and then 38 more in June under subpoena. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 Today, the Eagle Forum filed a motion to quash the subpoena or modify it. Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2022 The two-witness trial lasted just a week and established that Bannon ignored a congressional subpoena that he was legally obligated to answer. Shayna Jacobs, Jacqueline Alemany And Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2022 New York Times, 28 June 2022 Unlike the independent, nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics, that 10-member panel is empowered to subpoena and sanction House members. Zach Everson, Forbes, 2 June 2022 Rolling Stone reported on Wednesday that sources knowledgeable on operations of the Jan. 6 committee were preparing to subpoena Jones’ phone and email records from the past two years, the existence of which was revealed on Wednesday. Nikki Mccann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2022 Once the grand jury is impaneled, the prosecutor has the ability to subpoena records and witnesses. Peter A. Joy, The Conversation, 27 July 2022 Unlike the district attorney’s office, the 23-member panel has the power to subpoena officials and can convene for up to a year. Arit John, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 Earlier this month, Willis began a process to subpoena out-of-state witnesses to testify. Kate Brumback, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022 Earlier this month, Willis began a process to subpoena out-of-state witnesses to testify. Kate Brumback, ajc, 18 July 2022 The oversight committee has since attempted to subpoena Snyder to testify in a deposition, but to no avail. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2022 See More
Noun
White ultimately testified under subpoena in Fairfax County Circuit Court in November 2018, and identified Nguyen as the person who assaulted him in August of that year. Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2022 The court said the subpoena could only cover information involving financial connections between Trump or his businesses and government officials or agencies. Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2022 Investigators later reached him by phone and served a subpoena via email. Arden Farhi, Graham Kates, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2022 After a subpoena for the phone number was served, T-Mobile provided records that showed Terry's phone was in contact with the child's phone more than 140 times between April 26 and 29. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Sep. 2022 In a July 22 verdict, a federal jury in Washington said Mr. Bannon unlawfully defied a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Trump had returned 15 boxes of documents in January, and then 38 more in June under subpoena. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 Today, the Eagle Forum filed a motion to quash the subpoena or modify it. Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2022 The two-witness trial lasted just a week and established that Bannon ignored a congressional subpoena that he was legally obligated to answer. Shayna Jacobs, Jacqueline Alemany And Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2022 Verb
State law allows a Michigan judge acting as a one-person grand jury to investigate, subpoena witnesses and issue arrest warrants, the court ruled, but not to hand down unilateral indictments. New York Times, 28 June 2022 Unlike the independent, nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics, that 10-member panel is empowered to subpoena and sanction House members. Zach Everson, Forbes, 2 June 2022 Rolling Stone reported on Wednesday that sources knowledgeable on operations of the Jan. 6 committee were preparing to subpoena Jones’ phone and email records from the past two years, the existence of which was revealed on Wednesday. Nikki Mccann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2022 Once the grand jury is impaneled, the prosecutor has the ability to subpoena records and witnesses. Peter A. Joy, The Conversation, 27 July 2022 Unlike the district attorney’s office, the 23-member panel has the power to subpoena officials and can convene for up to a year. Arit John, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 Earlier this month, Willis began a process to subpoena out-of-state witnesses to testify. Kate Brumback, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022 Earlier this month, Willis began a process to subpoena out-of-state witnesses to testify. Kate Brumback, ajc, 18 July 2022 The oversight committee has since attempted to subpoena Snyder to testify in a deposition, but to no avail. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English suppena, from Latin sub poena under penalty
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1640, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing subpoena
Legal Definition
subpoena 1 of 2
noun
sub·poe·na
variants also subpena
sə-ˈpē-nə
: a writ commanding a designated person upon whom it has been served to appear (as in court or before a congressional committee) under a penalty (as a charge of contempt) for failure to comply compare summons
subpoena
2 of 2transitive verb
variants also subpena
subpoenaed; subpoenaing
: to call before a court or hearing by a subpoena
the inspector is given the power to subpoena any relevant…witnesses Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review also : to command the production of (evidence) by a subpoena duces tecum
subpoenaed documents
subpoenaed
verb
as in summoned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- summoned
- cited
- asked
- convened
- invited
- requested
- assembled
- hailed
- called out
- ordered
- convoked
- called up
- mustered
- called
- demanded
- requisitioned
- invoked
- bid
- commanded
- beckoned
- bade
- paged
- whistled
- buzzed
- rang
- knelled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sent (away)
- dismissed
- turned away
- ejected
- ousted
- banished
- expelled
- outed
- kicked out
- routed
- booted (out)
- drummed (out)
- threw out
- cast out
- ran off
- turfed (out)
