subpoena
/səˈpiː.nə/ (bre, ipa) · [səpˈinə] /səˈpiː.nə/ (ame, ipa) · [səpˈinə] /sə-ˈpē-nə How to pronounce subpoena (audio) nonstandard -nē How to pronounce subpoena (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /səˈpiːnə/ (bre, ipa) · [səpˈinə] /səˈpiːnə/ (ame, ipa)
subpoena — verb
- subpoenapresent simple I / you / we / they
- subpoenas3rd person singular
- subpoenaing-ing form
- subpoenaedpast simple
1. to officially require someone to appear in a court of law and give information,
to officially require someone to appear in a court of law and give information, usually because they saw or know something related to a case.
The judge issued an order to subpoena Wei as a witness in the trial.
collocation: subpoena + as a witness
Elena was subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury last Thursday.
passive: be subpoenaed to appear
The court subpoenaed James to testify about what he saw at the scene.
The prosecutor decided to subpoena Amina after learning about what she saw.
The prosecutor subpoenaed David to give evidence in the fraud trial.
文法句型
subpoena + person
be subpoenaed + to-infinitive
be subpoenaed + as (witness)
用法筆記
Subject is usually a court, a prosecutor, a committee, or other legal authority. The person being subpoenaed is typically a witness rather than the person accused of a crime.
常見錯誤
2. to officially demand that documents, records, or other physical evidence be hand
to officially demand that documents, records, or other physical evidence be handed over to a court for examination during a legal case.
The court subpoenaed all email records from the company's internal server.
collocation: subpoena + records from [institution]
Kaito's accounting firm was subpoenaed for its financial documents last month.
passive: be subpoenaed for [documents]
The lawyers subpoenaed medical reports from the hospital where Sofia was treated.
A judge can subpoena bank statements during an investigation into suspected fraud.
The committee subpoenaed internal reports from the past three years for review.
文法句型
subpoena + documents/records
be subpoenaed for + documents
subpoena + documents + from + institution
用法筆記
Only sense that takes documents or records as its object rather than a person. Often used in the passive voice to focus on the documents demanded.
常見錯誤
subpoena — noun
- subpoenasingular
- subpoenasplural
1. an official written notice from a court that demands a person's attendance, usua
an official written notice from a court that demands a person's attendance, usually to answer questions as a witness, and warns of a penalty if the person fails to appear.
A subpoena arrived at Oluwaseun's house, requiring her to testify in court.
The witness received a subpoena to appear in court on Monday morning.
collocation: receive a subpoena
Priyanka's lawyer explained that the subpoena could not be ignored.
Serving a subpoena is the first step in compelling a witness to attend.
The court clerk issued a subpoena to each person who saw the accident.
- summons
similar but distinct: a summons tells a defendant to respond to a lawsuit; a subpoena tells a witness to testify
- writ
broader term for any formal court order, not limited to orders to appear
- court order
any directive from a judge; a subpoena is one specific type of court order
文法句型
serve + a subpoena + on + person
receive + a subpoena
issue + a subpoena
under + subpoena
用法筆記
A subpoena differs from a summons: a subpoena orders a person to appear as a witness, while a summons notifies someone that they are being sued or charged.