serve

American  

[surv] / sɜrv /

verb (used without object)

• serves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• served,
  past participle,  past
• serving
  present participle

1. to act as a servant.

   Synonyms:

   attend

2. to wait on table, as a waiter.

   Synonyms:

   attend

3. to offer or have a meal or refreshments available, as for patrons or guests.

   Come early, we're serving at six.

4. 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.

5. to render assistance; be of use; help.

   Synonyms:

   succor, aid

6. to go through a term of service, do duty as a soldier, sailor, senator, juror, etc.

7. to have definite use.

   This cup will serve as a sugar bowl.

8. to answer the purpose.

   That will serve to explain my actions.

9. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put the ball or shuttlecock in play with a stroke, swing, or hit.

10. to be favorable, suitable, or convenient, as weather or time.

11. Ecclesiastical. to act as a server.

---

verb (used with object)

• serves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• served,
  past participle,  past
• serving
  present participle

1. to be in the service of; work for.

2. to be useful or of service to; help.

3. to go through (a term of service, imprisonment, etc.).

4. to render active service to (a sovereign, commander, etc.).

5. to render obedience or homage to (God, a sovereign, etc.).

6. to perform the duties of (a position, an office, etc.).

   to serve his mayoralty.

7. to answer the requirements of; suffice.

   This will serve our needs for the moment.

8. to contribute to; promote.

   to serve a cause.

9. to wait upon at table; act as a waiter or waitress to.

10. to carry and distribute (portions of food or drink) to a patron or a specific table, as a waiter or waitress.

11. 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?

12. 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.

13. to provide with a regular or continuous supply of something.

14. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to put (the ball or shuttlecock) in play.

15. to treat in a specified manner.

    That served him ill.

16. Law.

    1. to make legal delivery of (a process or writ).

    2. to present (a person) with a writ.

17. to gratify (desire, wants, needs, etc.).

18. (of a male animal) to mate with; service.

19. to operate or keep in action (a gun, artillery, etc.).

20. Nautical. to wrap (a rope) tightly with small stuff, keeping the turns as close together as possible.

21. Slang. to present or embody (a particular aesthetic, persona, or quality) in a confident or captivating way.

noun

• serves
  plural

1. the act, manner, or right of serving, as in tennis.

idioms

1. serve one right, to treat one as one deserves, especially to punish justly.

   It will serve you right if she never speaks to you again.

serve British  

/ 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. (tr) 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. to present (food, drink, etc) in a specified manner

   cauliflower served with cheese sauce

7. (tr) to provide with a regular supply of

8. (tr) to work actively for

   to serve the government

9. (tr) 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. (intr) (of weather, conditions, etc) to be favourable or suitable

14. Also: service. (tr) (of a male animal) to copulate with (a female animal)

15. sport to put (the ball) into play

16. (intr) RC Church to act as server at Mass or other services

17. (tr) 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. (tr) nautical to bind (a rope, spar, etc) with wire or fine cord to protect it from chafing, etc See also seize

20. informal to pay a person back, esp for wrongful or foolish treatment or behaviour

---

noun

1. sport short for service 1

2. a portion or helping of food or drink

serve More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing serve

• break someone's serve
• first come, first served
• hand to on a silver platter (serve up on a plate)

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overserve
  verb (used with object)
• servable
  adjective
• serveable
  adjective
• underserved
  adjective
• unservable
  adjective
• unserved
  adjective
• well-served
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• serves
  plural

Participles

• serving
  present
• served
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• serve
  simple
• serves
  simple
• have served
  perfect
• has served
  perfect
• am serving
  progressive
• are serving
  progressive
• is serving
  progressive
• have been serving
  perfect progressive
• has been serving
  perfect progressive

Past

• served
  simple
• had served
  perfect
• was serving
  progressive
• were serving
  progressive
• had been serving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will serve
  simple
• will have served
  perfect
• will be serving
  progressive
• will have been serving
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serve serves served serving

Full of endearing quirks, the cats in Ms. Fullerton’s book serve as crucial wells of inspiration, encouraging authors to exercise their talents in unexpected ways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Before I’m going to serve you a history lesson, let’s at least start with decency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The researchers conducted their initial tests using protoplasts, individual wheat cells that serve as a simplified model for studying how plant tissues respond.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

"But we should never lose sight of what brings every one of us here: a shared responsibility to serve the people of Wales," he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Then I help Mima clear the table and serve the plates of sweet baklava.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Peter Finn, who serves as the Teamsters’ vice president at-large, said that truck driving is the most common job for men without a college degree in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

That conversation serves as the meat and bones of “Hurricane Seasons,” in which Puerto Rico isn’t simply a location.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

To enroll in these programs, you must have an address in the area the plan serves.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

In a reactor, heavy water serves as a neutron moderator, meaning it slows down the neutrons released during fission.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

In this particular tale, he serves only one purpose.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Now 24 and in recovery from anorexia, Varsha says she is still served weight loss content on social media - despite having every safety setting turned on, and an exhaustive list of banned words.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

As he neared the edge of the village, Stupnikov heard a shout from one of the two-story homes on the street, which served as a brigade observation post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

At Eugene Henaff, one-third of meals served fall into the lowest-income bracket, with families paying 20 or 50 cents and the Ile-de-France region covering the rest, the region said, noting that no subsidies were pending.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

In addition to personally coaching top youth prospects from the Midwest, Gardner served as director of an annual winter meet that drew hundreds of gymnasts to Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nell,” she said, her voice so icy, I could have served it with lemonade.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

A single mother abandoned by her husband, she didn’t want her only son serving in the army.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The clearest route to shareholder gains would be lower costs for serving existing customers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Later that month, Combs was transferred to the federal correctional institution at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he had been serving out his sentence until his transfer on Friday.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The protests have drawn fresh attention to longstanding inequalities in France's education system, where schools serving the poorest communities often struggle for resources despite substantial public spending.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Leah typically led the sessions, with Kate, Maggie, or both, serving as mediums.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• accept
• attend
• complete
• follow
• pass
• perform
• work

---