noun · formal
subpoena
/səˈpiːnə/sub·PEE·na
Band 7+task2speaking
an official order requiring someone to attend court or produce documents
Examples
“The witness received a subpoena to appear in court next month.”
“Lawyers often issue subpoenas to obtain financial records.”
“Ignoring a subpoena can result in contempt of court.”
Band 8 sentence
“The defence counsel served a subpoena to secure critical documents that the prosecution had omitted.”
Collocations
- issue/serve a subpoena
- receive a subpoena
- ignore a subpoena
Word family
subpoenaed verb / adjective (past)issue a subpoena phrase
Common mistakes
use 'summon' as a noun (e.g. 'a summon')→a subpoena / a summons
translate as 'một lời mời đến tòa'→trát tòa (subpoena)
Say it for a higher band
5call to court→6summons→7+subpoena
Synonyms
summons
Easily confused
summons
“The court issued a subpoena demanding the company hand over transaction records.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Crime & Law
Learn it with its set