Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense serves, present participle serving, past tense, past participle served
1. verb
If you serve your country, an organization, or a person, you do useful work for them.
It is unfair to soldiers who have served their country well for many years. [VERB noun]
I have always said that I would serve the Party in any way it felt appropriate. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: work for, help, aid, assist More Synonyms of serve
2. verb
If you serve in a particular place or as a particular official, you perform official duties, especially in the armed forces, as a civil servant, or as a politician.
During the second world war he served with RAF Coastal Command. [VERB preposition/adverb]
He also served on the National Front's national executive committee. [VERB preposition/adverb]
For seven years until 1991 he served as a district councillor in Solihull. [VERB preposition/adverb]
3. verb
If something servesas a particular thing or serves a particular purpose, it performs a particular function, which is often not its intended function.
She ushered me into the front room, which served as her office. [V + as/for]
I really do not think that an inquiry would serve any useful purpose. [VERB noun]
Their brief visit has served to underline the deep differences between the two countries. [VERB to-infinitive]
The old drawing room serves her as both sitting room and study. [V n + as/for]
4. verb
If something serves people or an area, it provides them with something that they need.
This could mean the closure of thousands of small businesses which serve the community. [VERB noun]
...improvements in the public water-supply system serving the Nairobi area. [VERB noun]
Cuba is well served by motorways. [beVERB-ed + by]
...a desire to make education serve the needs of politicians and business. [VERB noun]
5. verb
Something that serves someone's interests benefits them.
The economy should be organized to serve the interests of all the people. [VERB noun]
They may well decide that their interests would be best served by joining in. [VERB noun]
6. verb
When you serve food and drink, you give people food and drink.
Serve it with French bread. [VERB noun preposition]
Serve the cakes warm. [VERB noun adjective]
Prepare the garnishes shortly before you are ready to serve the soup. [VERB noun]
...the pleasure of having someone serve you champagne and caviar in bed. [VERB noun noun]
They are expected to baby-sit, run errands, and help serve at cocktail parties. [VERB]
[Also VERB noun + to]
Synonyms: present, provide, supply, deliver More Synonyms of serve
Serve up means the same as serve.
After all, it is no use serving up TV dinners if the kids won't eat them. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
He served it up on delicate white plates. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
7. verb [no cont]
Serve is used to indicate how much food a recipe produces. For example, a recipe that serves six provides enough food for six people.
Garnish with fresh herbs. Serves 4. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: be enough for, be sufficient for, be adequate for, provide enough for More Synonyms of serve
8. verb
Someone who serves customers in a shop or a bar helps them and provides them with what they want to buy.
They wouldn't serve me in any pubs 'cos I looked too young. [VERB noun]
Auntie and Uncle suggested she serve in the shop. [VERB]
Synonyms: attend to, wait on, deal with, oblige More Synonyms of serve
9. verb
When the police or other officials serve someone with a legal order or serve an order on them, they give or send the legal order to them.
[law]
Immigration officers tried to serve her with a deportation order. [VERB noun + with]
Police said they had been unable to serve a summons on 25-year-old Lee Jones. [VERB noun + on]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: deliver to, give to, present with, hand over to More Synonyms of serve
10. verb
If you serve something such as a prison sentence or an apprenticeship, you spend a period of time doing it.
...Leo, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder. [VERB noun]
He was able to serve his apprenticeship as a trainer with Eddie Futch. [VERB noun]
11. verb
When you serve in games such as tennis and badminton, you throw up the ball or shuttlecock and hit it to start play.
He served 17 double faults. [VERB noun]
If you serve like this nobody can beat you. [VERB]
Serve is also a noun.
His second serve clipped the net.
12. countable noun
When you describe someone's serve, you are indicating how well or how fast they serve a ball or shuttlecock.
His powerful serve was too much for the defending champion.
13. See also serving
14.
See serve sb right
Phrasal verbs:
See serve out
See serve up
More Synonyms of serve
serve in British English
(sɜːv)
verb
1.
to be in the service of (a person)
2.
to render or be of service to (a person, cause, etc); help
3.
(in a shop) to give (customers) information about articles for sale and to hand over articles purchased
4. (transitive)
to provide (guests, customers, etc) with food, drink, etc
she served her guests with cocktails
5.
to distribute or provide (food, drink, etc) for guests, customers, etc
do you serve coffee?
6. (transitive; sometimes foll byup)
to present (food, drink, etc) in a specified manner
cauliflower served with cheese sauce
7. (transitive)
to provide with a regular supply of
8. (transitive)
to work actively for
to serve the government
9. (transitive)
to pay homage to
to serve God
10.
to answer the requirements of; suit
this will serve my purpose
11. (intr; may take an infinitive)
to have a use; function
this wood will serve to build a fire
12.
to go through (a period of service, enlistment, imprisonment, etc)
13. (intransitive)
(of weather, conditions, etc) to be favourable or suitable
14. Also: service(transitive)
(of a male animal) to copulate with (a female animal)
15. sport
to put (the ball) into play
16. (intransitive) Roman Catholic Church
to act as server at Mass or other services
17. (transitive)
to deliver (a legal document, esp a writ or summons) to (a person)
18.
to provide (a machine, etc) with an impulse or signal for control purposes or with a continuous supply of fuel, working material, etc
19. (transitive) nautical
to bind (a rope, spar, etc) with wire or fine cord to protect it from chafing, etc
See also seize (sense 8)
20. serve a person right
noun
21. sport short for service1 (sense 17)
22. Australian
a portion or helping of food or drink
Derived forms
servable (ˈservable) or serveable (ˈserveable)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French servir, from Latin servīre, from servus a slave
serve in American English
(sɜrv)
verb transitiveWord forms: served or ˈserving
1.
to work for as a servant
2.
a.
to do services or duties for; give service to; aid; assist; help
b.
to give obedience and reverent honor to (God, one's lord, etc.)
c. Archaic
to pay court to (a lady)
3.
to do military or naval service for
4.
to pass or spend (a term of imprisonment, military service, etc.)
to serve a year in prison
5.
a.
to carry out the duties connected with (a position, office, etc.)
b.
to act as server for (Mass, Benediction, etc.)
6.
a.
to wait on (customers), as in a store
b.
to provide (customers, clients, or users) with goods or services, esp. professional services
c.
to provide (goods) for customers; supply
7.
a.
to prepare and offer (food, etc.) in a certain way
serve the beef with rice
b.
to offer or set food, etc. before (a person)
c.
to give someone a portion or portions of (food, etc.) at the table
please serve me some peas
8.
a.
to meet the needs or satisfy the requirements of
a tool to serve many purposes
b.
to promote or further
to serve the national interest
9.
to be used by
a hospital that serves the entire city
10.
to function or perform for
if memory serves me well
11.
to behave toward; treat
to be cruelly served
12.
a.
to deliver (a legal instrument, as a summons)
b.
to deliver a legal instrument to; esp., to present with a writ
13.
to hit (a tennis ball, etc.) to one's opponent in order to start play
14.
to copulate with (a female)
said of an animal
15. Nautical
to put a binding around in order to protect or strengthen (rope, etc.)
verb intransitive
16.
to work as a servant
17.
to be in service; do service
to serve in the navy
18.
a.
to carry out the duties connected with a position, office, etc.
b.
to act as server for Mass, Benediction, etc.
19.
to be used or usable; be of service; function
20.
to meet needs or satisfy requirements
21.
to provide guests with something to eat or drink, as by waiting on table
22.
to be suitable or favorable
said of weather, wind, etc.
23.
to start play by hitting the ball, etc. to one's opponent, as in tennis
noun
24.
the act or manner of serving the ball in tennis, etc., or one's turn to serve
Idioms:
serve someone right
Word origin
ME serven < OFr servir < L servire, to serve < servus, servant, slave: see serf
serve in Hospitality
(sɜrv)
Word forms: (present) serves, (past) served, (perfect) served, (progressive) serving
verb
(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, cooking)
When you serve food and drinks, you give people food and drinks.
Food is not served in the evenings until six o'clock.
Serve soup with bread or crackers.
Don't serve drinks to people in the bar if they look too young.
More idioms containing
serve
serve two masters
Examples of 'serve' in a sentence
serve
However, it seems I am doomed to serve your cause, whether I like it or not.
Jennifer Fallon TREASON KEEP (2001)
Still, `There must be someone else who could serve you that way.
Robin Hobb THE GOLDEN FOOL: BOOK TWO OF THE TAWNY MAN (2001)
Elena and Marina got to see the same sight when the waitress turned to serve Sean.
José Latour HAVANA BEST FRIENDS (2001)
Quotations
They also serve who only stand and waitJohn MiltonSonnet 16
If you would be well served, serve yourself
In other languages
serve
British English: serve /sɜːv/ NOUN
A serve is when you hit a ball or a shuttlecock in a game of tennis or badminton in order to start the game.
His second serve clipped the net.
American English: serve
Arabic: ضَرْبةٌ مَبْدَئِيَّة
Brazilian Portuguese: serviço desporto
Chinese: 发球 tennis
Croatian: servis
Czech: podání tenis
Danish: serv
Dutch: serve
European Spanish: servicio saque
Finnish: syöttö tenniksessä
French: service tennis
German: Aufschlag Tennis
Greek: σερβίρισμα
Italian: servizio
Japanese: サーブ
Korean: 서브
Norwegian: serve
Polish: serwis
European Portuguese: serviço desporto
Romanian: servă
Russian: подача
Latin American Spanish: servicio
Swedish: serve
Thai: การเสิร์ฟลูกเทนนิส
Turkish: servis atmak
Ukrainian: подача
Vietnamese: cú phát bóng
British English: serve /sɜːv/ VERB
If you serve your country, an organization, or a person, you do useful work for them.
He served the government loyally for 30 years.
American English: serve
Arabic: يَخْدِمُ
Brazilian Portuguese: servir
Chinese: 服务
Croatian: služiti
Czech: sloužit být nápomocen
Danish: tjene
Dutch: dienen
European Spanish: servir
Finnish: palvella
French: servir
German: dienen
Greek: υπηρετώ
Italian: servire
Japanese: 仕える
Korean: 섬기다
Norwegian: servere
Polish: obsłużyć
European Portuguese: servir
Romanian: a deservi
Russian: обслуживать
Latin American Spanish: servir
Swedish: tjäna serva
Thai: บริการ
Turkish: hizmet etmek
Ukrainian: служити
Vietnamese: phục vụ
All related terms of 'serve'
re-serve
to serve again
serve out
If someone serves out their term of office , contract , or prison sentence , they do not leave before the end of the agreed period of time.
serve up
full-serve
→ full-service
kick serve
Tennis See American twist
self-serve
→ self-service
soft serve
→ frozen custard
serve notice
to give formal warning or information, as of intentions ; announce
break of serve
the act or instance of breaking an opponent's service
cannonball serve
(in tennis ) a very fast low serve
serve a purpose
The purpose of something is the reason for which it is made or done.
serve the public
You can refer to people in general , or to all the people in a particular country or community , as the public .
serve two masters
to be loyal to two opposing principles , beliefs , or organizations
serve sb right it serves you right
If you say it serves someone right when something unpleasant happens to them, you mean that it is their own fault and you have no sympathy for them.
serve a person right
to pay a person back, esp for wrongful or foolish treatment or behaviour
break
When an object breaks or when you break it, it suddenly separates into two or more pieces, often because it has been hit or dropped.
busticate
to break
re
You use re in business letters , faxes , or other documents to introduce a subject or item which you are going to discuss or refer to in detail .