serve
[ surv ]
/ sɜrv /
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verb (used without object), served, serv·ing.
verb (used with object), served, serv·ing.
noun
the act, manner, or right of serving, as in tennis.
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Idioms about serve
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.
Origin of serve
1125–75; Middle English serven<Old French servir<Latin servīre, equivalent to serv(us) slave (cf. serf) + -īre infinitive suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM serve
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use serve in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for serve
serve
/ (sɜːv) /
verb
noun
sport short for service 1 (def. 17)
Australian a portion or helping of food or drink
Derived forms of serve
servable or serveable, adjectiveWord Origin for serve
C13: from Old French servir, from Latin servīre, from servus a slave
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with serve
serve
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.