summon up
phrasal verb
summoned up; summoning up; summons up
: to bring (a memory, feeling, image, etc.) into the mind
Visiting his old house summoned up memories of his childhood.
Examples of summon up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As for summoning up that resume, even a youngster would have an impossible time memorizing Freeman's epic cinematic roster.
—
Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
The fact that his performance sometimes summons up that film is no reason to discount it.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Players on both sides can summon up to three allies, which turns a personal 1v1 match into a large 4v4 fight.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
While the words ranch house might summon up an image of a low-ceilinged suburban house with tiny windows that block out the street, the Ponderosa Drive home seems designed to maximize the views of the woods.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Jan. 2025
This opening cut from the Tony Williams Lifetime’s 1969 debut, with Williams on drums, Larry Young on organ and the British guitar god John McLaughlin, summons up a few of my favorite musical-cultural milestones.
—Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Larysa passed tragically this weekend and now her children will need all the love and support the community can summon up.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 10 Dec. 2024
More often, Leonard summons up an idealized version of himself as a polite, but adrift womanizer played by Jacob Elordi.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
The fact that his performance sometimes summons up that film is no reason to discount it.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Players on both sides can summon up to three allies, which turns a personal 1v1 match into a large 4v4 fight.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
While the words ranch house might summon up an image of a low-ceilinged suburban house with tiny windows that block out the street, the Ponderosa Drive home seems designed to maximize the views of the woods.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Jan. 2025
This opening cut from the Tony Williams Lifetime’s 1969 debut, with Williams on drums, Larry Young on organ and the British guitar god John McLaughlin, summons up a few of my favorite musical-cultural milestones.
—Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Larysa passed tragically this weekend and now her children will need all the love and support the community can summon up.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 10 Dec. 2024
More often, Leonard summons up an idealized version of himself as a polite, but adrift womanizer played by Jacob Elordi.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Summon up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summon%20up. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share