Jump To:

• service
  service

  noun

  an act of helpful activity; help; aid.
• Service
  Service

  noun

  Robert W(illiam), 1874–1958, Canadian writer, born in England.

service

¹ American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. an act of helpful activity; help; aid.

   to do someone a service.

2. the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities, as water, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public.

3. the providing or a provider of accommodation and activities required by the public, as maintenance, repair, etc..

   The manufacturer guarantees service and parts.

4. the organized system of apparatus, appliances, employees, etc., for supplying some accommodation required by the public.

   a television repair service.

5. the supplying or a supplier of public communication and transportation: bus service.

   telephone service;

   bus service.

6. the performance of duties or the duties performed as or by a waiter or servant; occupation or employment as a waiter or servant.

7. employment in any duties or work for a person, organization, government, etc.

8. a department of public employment, an administrative division of a government, or the body of public servants in it.

   the diplomatic service.

9. the duty or work of public servants.

10. the serving of a sovereign, state, or government in some official capacity.

11. Military.

    1. the armed forces.

       in the service.

    2. a branch of the armed forces, as the army or navy.

       Which service were you in during the war?

12. Ordnance. the actions required in loading and firing a cannon.

    service of the piece.

13. Often services the performance of any duties or work for another; helpful or professional activity.

    medical services.

14. something made or done by a commercial organization for the public benefit and without regard to direct profit.

    Certain books are published at a loss as a public service.

15. Also called divine service.  public religious worship according to prescribed form and order.

16. a ritual or form prescribed for public worship or for some particular occasion.

    the marriage service.

17. the serving of God by obedience, piety, etc..

    voluntary service.

18. a musical setting of the sung portions of a liturgy.

19. a set of dishes, utensils, etc., for general table use or for particular use.

    a tea service;

    service for eight.

20. answering service.

21. Law. the serving of a process or writ upon a person.

22. Nautical. tarred spun yarn or other small stuff for covering the exterior of a rope.

23. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.)

    1. the act or manner of putting the ball or shuttlecock into play; serve.

    2. the ball or shuttlecock as put into play.

24. the mating of a female animal with the male.

---

adjective

1. of service; useful.

2. of, relating to, or used by servants, delivery people, etc., or in serving food.

   service stairs;

   the service pieces in a set of dishes.

3. supplying aids or services rather than products or goods.

   Medicine is one of the service professions.

4. supplying maintenance and repair.

   He operates a service center for electrical appliances.

5. of, for, or pertaining to the armed forces of a country or one of them.

   a service academy.

6. charged for providing service.

   a service fee of 15 percent on the restaurant check.

7. providing, authorizing, or guaranteeing service: a service contract.

   a service industry;

   a service contract.

verb (used with object)

• services,
  present (3rd person singular)
• serviced,
  past participle,  past
• servicing
  present participle

1. to make fit for use; repair; restore to condition for service.

   to service an automobile.

2. to supply with aid, information, or other incidental services.

3. (of a male animal) to mate with (a female animal).

4. Finance. to pay off (a debt) over a period of time, as by meeting periodic interest payments.

idioms

1. at someone's service, ready to be of help or use to someone; at one's disposal.

   You will have an English-speaking guide at your service.

2. be of service, to be helpful or useful.

   If we can be of service, do not hesitate to call.

service ² American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. a European or North American service tree, especially Sorbus domestica.

---

Service ³ American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. Robert W(illiam), 1874–1958, Canadian writer, born in England.

---

service ¹ British  

/ ˈsɜːvɪs /

noun

1. an act of help or assistance

2. an organized system of labour and material aids used to supply the needs of the public

   telephone service

   bus service

3. the supply, installation, or maintenance of goods carried out by a dealer

4. the state of availability for use by the public (esp in the phrases into or out of service )

5. a periodic overhaul made on a car, machine, etc

6. the act or manner of serving guests, customers, etc, in a shop, hotel, restaurant, etc

7. a department of public employment and its employees

   civil service

8. employment in or performance of work for another

   he has been in the service of our firm for ten years

9. the work of a public servant

10. 1. one of the branches of the armed forces

    2. ( as modifier )

       service life

11. the state, position, or duties of a domestic servant (esp in the phrase in service )

12. the act or manner of serving food

13. a complete set of dishes, cups, etc, for use at table

14. public worship carried out according to certain prescribed forms

    divine service

15. the prescribed form according to which a specific kind of religious ceremony is to be carried out

    the burial service

16. a unified collection of musical settings of the canticles and other liturgical items prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer as used in the Church of England

17. sport

    1. the act, manner, or right of serving a ball

    2. Often shortened to: serve.  the game in which a particular player serves

       he has lost his service

18. (in feudal law) the duty owed by a tenant to his lord

19. the serving of a writ, summons, etc, upon a person

20. nautical a length of tarred marline or small stuff used in serving

21. (of male animals) the act of mating

22. (modifier) of, relating to, or for the use of servants or employees

23. (modifier) serving the public rather than producing goods

---

verb

1. to provide service or services

2. to make fit for use

3. to supply with assistance

4. to overhaul (a car, machine, etc)

5. (of a male animal) to mate with (a female)

6. to meet interest and capital payments on (debt)

Service ² British  

/ 'sɜːvɪs /

noun

1. Robert ( William ). 1874–1958, Canadian poet, born in England; noted for his ballad-like poems of gold-rush era Yukon, such as 'The Shooting of Dan McGrew'; his books include Songs of a Sourdough (1907)

---

service ³ British  

/ ˈsɜːvɪs /

noun

1. See service tree

---

service More Idioms  

1. see at someone's service; break someone's serve (service); lip service; of service to someone; press into service.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unserviced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• servicing
  present
• serviced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• service
  simple
• services
  simple
• have serviced
  perfect
• has serviced
  perfect
• am servicing
  progressive
• are servicing
  progressive
• is servicing
  progressive
• have been servicing
  perfect progressive
• has been servicing
  perfect progressive

Past

• serviced
  simple
• had serviced
  perfect
• was servicing
  progressive
• were servicing
  progressive
• had been servicing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will service
  simple
• will have serviced
  perfect
• will be servicing
  progressive
• will have been servicing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of service¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English (noun), from Old French, from Latin servitium “servitude,” equivalent to serv(us) “slave” + -itium noun suffix ( see -ice); replacing Middle English servise, late Old English serfise “ceremony,” from Old French servise, variant of service

Origin of service²

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier serves, plural of obsolete serve “service tree”; Middle English; Old English syrfe, from unattested Vulgar Latin sorbea, derivative of Latin sorbus sorb ¹

Explanation

If you perform duties that help someone else, you're providing a service. If you make dinner for your neighbor's children while she's in the hospital, you're doing a good service. Service has many uses, all having to do with serving someone, or doing something for them. In a restaurant the waiter provides service, and if you do something nice for someone, you've done him a good service. If you're in someone's service that means you work for her. Service can also mean a verb meaning "to fix," like when the maintenance whiz services the photocopier, or the mechanic services your car. In church, a ceremony is also called a service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

service Service services serviced servicing

According to the weather service office in Tampa, Fla., a dew point of below 60 degrees is comfortable; above 65 feels muggy; above 70, very humid and uncomfortable; and above 75, oppressive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Anthropic’s terms of service prohibit Chinese companies from using Claude, with other U.S. companies setting similar rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

"Mr. Tung dedicated his life with an unwavering commitment to the service of the Nation and the Hong Kong SAR. His contributions with integrity, compassion, and dignity will be well remembered," it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sabalenka began the match in cruise control, breaking in sixth seed Noskova's opening service game and racing into a 5-2 lead, before being broken as she served for the set.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

I have to have the supervisor guy sign off on each day of my community service.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

The National Weather Service has issued high surf and coastal flood advisories until 11 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Richard Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told AFP coastal waters off Southern California were being roiled by the remnants of Hurricane Marie.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

In 1840, Byfield published his first book-length autobiography, A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Some private nonprofits and public institutions already report donor names to the Internal Revenue Service for gifts of at least $5,000, but the IRS is barred from disclosing that information to the public.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

By the summer of 1981, there were three proposals for a national monument before the US Congress: one from Susan’s group, one from the Forest Service, and one from Washington’s new governor, John Spellman.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Zepeda works as a community coordinator for the Los Angeles-based Central American Resource Center, or CARECEN, the largest Central American organization in the country that provides low-cost immigration legal services and policy advocacy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Violet works in reproductive health services, while Annie runs Hear Her Collective, which seeks to improve support for girls and young women.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Senegal meanwhile "remains dependent on buying satellite images. Certain services cannot even be carried out because we lack the means to buy them", said Sensat's Faye.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

He is in charge of its credit and insurance, secondaries and infrastructure strategies and has led the global financial services team for many years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Although their mother was Buddhist, their father was Catholic, and they’d gone with him to a few services at Dapdong Catholic Cathedral.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

The study found that fathers handled many of the tasks researchers described as "episodic" - things that happen less often, such as remembering when to get the car serviced.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, the market may also be becoming more concerned about the high budget deficits of many developed nations, which may need to be serviced by increased supply of debt.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

At the lots, the company’s 56 cars recharge and are cleaned and serviced by contractors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

He insisted that the engine on the 18-year-old Boeing 737 plane had been fully serviced and overhauled in the past two years.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Given our father’s characteristic air of superiority, I secretly expected him to live in a manor house surrounded by grounds and serviced by a liveried staff.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Woking Borough Council leader Ann-Marie Barker said the financial support would help lessen the costs associated with servicing and reducing the council's debt.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

These maneuvers are intended to test technologies that could eventually be used for in-space satellite servicing, including future missions in which one spacecraft approaches and works near another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ferguson’s Law states that “any great power that spends more on debt servicing than on defense risks ceasing to be a great power.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

“We knew we weren’t servicing all their closet needs,” said Denise Incandela, who became executive vice president of fashion for Walmart U.S. in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Leaving their driveway, the roads are dotted with trucks servicing electrical lines, no birds in sight.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Related Words

• account
• assistance
• benefit
• business
• duty
• employment
• maintenance
• office
• supply
• use
• utility
• work