serve
verb (used without object)
to act as a servant.
had served
-
past perfectof serve.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Up until then, he had served in different police units for more than two decades.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Nasarenko said he was the beneficiary of a 2018 law that grants prison inmates who had served 25 years continuously and were over 60 years old an opportunity to seek elder parole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Widdecombe had served as Tory MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years and was appointed to ministerial roles in Sir John Major's government in the 1990s.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Rodriguez’s party is represented in the talks by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who heads the National Assembly and had served as Maduro’s top negotiator during numerous past failed negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The horses had served them well, and Herold loved animals, but they all agreed that the horses must be disposed of.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
