serve
Americanverb (used without object)
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to act as a servant.
- Synonyms:
- attend
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to wait on table, as a waiter.
- Synonyms:
- attend
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to offer or have a meal or refreshments available, as for patrons or guests.
Come early, we're serving at six.
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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.
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to render assistance; be of use; help.
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to go through a term of service, do duty as a soldier, sailor, senator, juror, etc.
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to have definite use.
This cup will serve as a sugar bowl.
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to answer the purpose.
That will serve to explain my actions.
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(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put the ball or shuttlecock in play with a stroke, swing, or hit.
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to be favorable, suitable, or convenient, as weather or time.
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Ecclesiastical. to act as a server.
verb (used with object)
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to be in the service of; work for.
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to be useful or of service to; help.
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to go through (a term of service, imprisonment, etc.).
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to render active service to (a sovereign, commander, etc.).
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to render obedience or homage to (God, a sovereign, etc.).
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to perform the duties of (a position, an office, etc.).
to serve his mayoralty.
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to answer the requirements of; suffice.
This will serve our needs for the moment.
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to contribute to; promote.
to serve a cause.
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to wait upon at table; act as a waiter or waitress to.
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to carry and distribute (portions of food or drink) to a patron or a specific table, as a waiter or waitress.
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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?
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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.
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to provide with a regular or continuous supply of something.
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(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put (the ball or shuttlecock) in play.
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to treat in a specified manner.
That served him ill.
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Law.
-
to make legal delivery of (a process or writ).
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to present (a person) with a writ.
-
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to gratify (desire, wants, needs, etc.).
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(of a male animal) to mate with; service.
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to operate or keep in action (a gun, artillery, etc.).
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Nautical. to wrap (a rope) tightly with small stuff, keeping the turns as close together as possible.
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Slang. to present or embody (a particular aesthetic, persona, or quality) in a confident or captivating way.
noun
idioms
verb
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to be in the service of (a person)
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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
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(tr) to provide (guests, customers, etc) with food, drink, etc
she served her guests with cocktails
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to distribute or provide (food, drink, etc) for guests, customers, etc
do you serve coffee?
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to present (food, drink, etc) in a specified manner
cauliflower served with cheese sauce
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(tr) to provide with a regular supply of
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(tr) to work actively for
to serve the government
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(tr) to pay homage to
to serve God
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to answer the requirements of; suit
this will serve my purpose
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(intr; may take an infinitive) to have a use; function
this wood will serve to build a fire
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to go through (a period of service, enlistment, imprisonment, etc)
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(intr) (of weather, conditions, etc) to be favourable or suitable
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Also: service. (tr) (of a male animal) to copulate with (a female animal)
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sport to put (the ball) into play
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(intr) RC Church to act as server at Mass or other services
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(tr) to deliver (a legal document, esp a writ or summons) to (a person)
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to provide (a machine, etc) with an impulse or signal for control purposes or with a continuous supply of fuel, working material, etc
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(tr) nautical to bind (a rope, spar, etc) with wire or fine cord to protect it from chafing, etc See also seize
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informal to pay a person back, esp for wrongful or foolish treatment or behaviour
noun
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sport short for service 1
-
a portion or helping of food or drink
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overserveverb (used with object)
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servableadjective
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serveableadjective
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underservedadjective
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unservableadjective
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unservedadjective
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well-servedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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servesimple
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servessimple
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have servedperfect
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has servedperfect
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am servingprogressive
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are servingprogressive
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is servingprogressive
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have been servingperfect progressive
-
has been servingperfect progressive
Past
-
servedsimple
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had servedperfect
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was servingprogressive
-
were servingprogressive
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had been servingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of serve
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin servīre, equivalent to serv(us) “enslaved person” ( cf. serf) + -īre, infinitive suffix
Explanation
To serve is to perform a role or function. While your co-worker is out sick, you gladly serve as his replacement until he gets better. Serve comes from the Latin word for servant or slave, but you can serve people without being subordinate to them. You might serve your family hamburgers for dinner, or serve the tennis ball. If you serve a cause, you devote yourself to it. Bug repellant will serve you well on a summer fishing trip. In prison you serve time. If you're elected Mayor, you'll serve a term of three or four years.
Vocabulary lists containing serve
The Smashing Lexicon of Tennis
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"The Challenge"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
5th Grade Government Vocabulary, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The Wall Street megabanks themselves have been building out their own ability to serve smaller customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
At Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, they periodically serve a Māori-inspired, multi-course meal.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Ramirez made the cart “based entirely on what was in my head” and even made the soft serve machine removable, Monconduit said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Wireless providers need balanced portfolios in order to serve customer needs effectively.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
This little girl who played make-believe, who wanted to serve her faith and walk through battlefields like Joan of Arc, had survived war, sickness, and separation.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Courtesy of Loves Food Loves to Eat and shared by Food52, this recipe serves two when eaten as a meal and four to six when enjoyed as a side.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The company said the allowance serves to enhance executives’ understanding of its businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
During each docking and undocking sequence, the lander prototype will act as the target while Orion serves as the chaser spacecraft.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
ServiceNow serves as an enterprise’s system of record, or official data source.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Mami serves Papi first, then me and Izzie, and herself last.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Pogacar’s signature gesture came the next day when he served as a companion to teammate Isaac del Toro, and helped del Toro secure the white jersey as the Tour’s best young rider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She added: "Justice must be served, not just for our family, but for every single person affected by this appalling crime."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
President Prabowo Subianto has accepted the resignation of Perry Warjiyo, who had served as Bank Indonesia's governor since 2018, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ruth Buffalo, who served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 2019-2022, originally won with the DSA’s endorsement.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
A pair of socks with bows stitched on top served nicely as ballet slippers.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Late last year, there were 277 prisoners serving OLRs and of the 224 who had completed the punishment part of their sentence, only 14 had been freed.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Warjiyo had led the central bank since 2018 and was serving a second term, set to expire in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Wind & Sea soon became an Orange County staple, serving seafood and its self-proclaimed “best mai tai in the world” on Dana Point Harbor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
In 1978 she replaced her late husband Hubert, who represented Minnesota in the Senate after serving as Lyndon Johnson’s vice president.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mother had finished cooking and came and sat with them after serving herself some food too.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
