break someone's serve

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In tennis and related sports, win a game served by one's opponent, as in The only way he'll win the match is to break Bill's serve. The use of serve, from the earlier service, meaning “starting play” in these sports, dates from the early 1600s.

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ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

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Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Words nearby break someone's serve

break ranks, breakroom, break someone, break someone of something, break someone's heart, break someone's serve, break someone up, break the back of, break the bank, break the ice, break the news

How to use break someone's serve in a sentence

Placed in drinking water, fluoride can serve people who otherwise have poor access to dental care.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For someone with anorexia, self-starvation makes them feel better.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Binge eating and purging does the same for someone with bulimia.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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 Stedman
Were you ever arrested, having in your custody another man's cash, and would rather go to gaol, than break it?
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Ollie saw someone standing before it, bending slightly forward in the pose of expectation.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
She had carried the baby over to Juana's and left her there, that she might be free to serve the Father's supper.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
If old Piegan Smith hadn't been sampling the contents of that keg so industriously he would never have made a break.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair