serve
to act as a servant.
to wait on table, as a waiter.
to offer or have a meal or refreshments available, as for patrons or guests: Come early, we're serving at six.
to offer or distribute a portion or portions of food or a beverage, as a host or hostess: It was her turn to serve at the faculty tea.
to render assistance; be of use; help.
to go through a term of service, do duty as a soldier, sailor, senator, juror, etc.
to have definite use: This cup will serve as a sugar bowl.
to answer the purpose: That will serve to explain my actions.
(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put the ball or shuttlecock in play with a stroke, swing, or hit.
to be favorable, suitable, or convenient, as weather or time.
Ecclesiastical. to act as a server.
to be in the service of; work for.
to be useful or of service to; help.
to go through (a term of service, imprisonment, etc.).
to render active service to (a sovereign, commander, etc.).
to render obedience or homage to (God, a sovereign, etc.).
to perform the duties of (a position, an office, etc.): to serve his mayoralty.
to answer the requirements of; suffice: This will serve our needs for the moment.
to contribute to; promote: to serve a cause.
to wait upon at table; act as a waiter or waitress to.
to carry and distribute (portions of food or drink) to a patron or a specific table, as a waiter or waitress.
to act as a host or hostess in offering (a person) a portion of food or drink: May I serve you with some tea and cake?
to act as a host or hostess in offering or distributing (a portion or portions of food or drink) to another: They served tea and cake to their guests.
to provide with a regular or continuous supply of something.
(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put (the ball or shuttlecock) in play.
to treat in a specified manner: That served him ill.
Law.
to make legal delivery of (a process or writ).
to present (a person) with a writ.
to gratify (desire, wants, needs, etc.).
(of a male animal) to mate with; service.
to operate or keep in action (a gun, artillery, etc.).
Nautical. to wrap (a rope) tightly with small stuff, keeping the turns as close together as possible.
the act, manner, or right of serving, as in tennis.
Idioms about serve
serve one right, to treat one as one deserves, especially to punish justly: It will serve you right if she never speaks to you again.
Origin of serve
1Other words for serve
Other words from serve
- serv·a·ble, serve·a·ble, adjective
- o·ver·serve, verb (used with object)
- un·der·served, adjective
- un·serv·a·ble, adjective
- un·served, adjective
- well-served, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use serve in a sentence
Bob Cratchit, the clerk who is the father of Tiny Tim and who meekly serves Scrooge, is paid fifteen shillings a week.
She now serves as an Associate Professor at Colorado State University and has authored several books on autism and animal science.
The Most Inspiring Bits of Temple Grandin’s Reddit AMA | Emily Shire | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe has close ties with the city political establishment and serves more than 200 needy families a week through his food bank.
Wicca includes ceremony and ritual that serves the union of the divine with nature rather than embracing a personal god.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism | Dina Goldstein | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt serves as the heart of the collective works, as an interface between the cosmos and humanity.
These Rules (leaving out the Tenor) serves for five bells; and leaving out the fifth and Tenor, they serve for four bells.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing | Richard Duckworth and Fabian StedmanThis serves the double purpose of shutting out the glances of the curious and keeping out the cold air.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeSince the two enzyms are almost invariably present or absent together, the test for rennin serves also as a test for pepsin.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThere I deal direct with the San Francisco buyers—and in this launch; it serves me very well as an office.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHe keeps the tally, and he says that never were so many altars as to-day, and the fire-carriage serves them well.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for serve
/ (sɜːv) /
to be in the service of (a person)
to render or be of service to (a person, cause, etc); help
(in a shop) to give (customers) information about articles for sale and to hand over articles purchased
(tr) to provide (guests, customers, etc) with food, drink, etc: she served her guests with cocktails
to distribute or provide (food, drink, etc) for guests, customers, etc: do you serve coffee?
(tr sometimes foll by up) to present (food, drink, etc) in a specified manner: cauliflower served with cheese sauce
(tr) to provide with a regular supply of
(tr) to work actively for: to serve the government
(tr) to pay homage to: to serve God
to answer the requirements of; suit: this will serve my purpose
(intr; may take an infinitive) to have a use; function: this wood will serve to build a fire
to go through (a period of service, enlistment, imprisonment, etc)
(intr) (of weather, conditions, etc) to be favourable or suitable
Also: service (tr) (of a male animal) to copulate with (a female animal)
sport to put (the ball) into play
(intr) RC Church to act as server at Mass or other services
(tr) to deliver (a legal document, esp a writ or summons) to (a person)
to provide (a machine, etc) with an impulse or signal for control purposes or with a continuous supply of fuel, working material, etc
(tr) nautical to bind (a rope, spar, etc) with wire or fine cord to protect it from chafing, etc: See also seize (def. 8)
serve a person right informal to pay a person back, esp for wrongful or foolish treatment or behaviour
sport short for service 1 (def. 17)
Australian a portion or helping of food or drink
Origin of serve
1Derived forms of serve
- servable or serveable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with serve
In addition to the idioms beginning with serve
- serve a purpose
- serve one right
- serve time
- serve up
also see:
- break someone's serve
- first come, first served
- hand to on a silver platter (serve up on a plate)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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