subpoena
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To require to be produced before a court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhpeenuhSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
səˈpinə
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
law
To summon (someone) with a subpoena (noun noun, sense 1) to appear in court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding, as a witness to give testimony or to produce evidence; to serve a subpoena on (someone).
“The witness and her records were subpoenaed.”
law
To require (a document or other evidence) to be produced before a court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding.
figurative
To compel or summon (someone or something); to demand.
noun
law
A writ ("written order") requiring someone to appear in court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding, as a witness to give testimony (a subpoena ad testificandum) or to produce evidence (subpoena duces tecum), in default of which the person may be punished.
law
A writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
figurative
A motive or thing which can compel or demand something, or summon someone.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
More ways to use subpoena
- “The witness and her records were subpoenaed.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Writ / summon
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding.
A writ issued by a court at the request of one of the parties to a suit.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.