server

American  

[sur-ver] / ˈsɜr vər /

noun

1. a person who serves.

2. a person who waits on tables; a waiter or waitress.

3. something that serves or is used in serving, as a salver.

4. a broad fork, spoon, or spatula for dishing out and serving individual portions of food, as vegetables, cake, or pie.

5. Also called altar server.  Ecclesiastical. an attendant on the priest at Mass, who arranges the altar, makes the responses, etc.

6. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) the player who puts the ball or shuttlecock in play.

7. Computers. a computer that makes services, as access to data files, programs, and peripheral devices, available to workstations on a network.

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server British  

/ ˈsɜːvə /

noun

1. a person who serves

2. RC Church a person who acts as acolyte or assists the priest at Mass

3. something that is used in serving food and drink

4. the player who serves in racket games

5. computing a computer or program that supplies data or resources to other machines on a network

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server Scientific  

/ sûr′vər /

1. A computer that manages centralized data storage or network communications resources. A server provides and organizes access to these resources for other computers linked to it.

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server Cultural  

1. Computer or software that performs administration or coordination functions within a network.

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Etymology

Origin of server

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; serve + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

You can refer to the person who delivers your food in a restaurant as a server. Be sure to leave your server a generous tip! The term server has become a very common synonym for "waiter" or "waitress." It's preferable to talk about the friendly server who takes your order, since the word isn't specific to their gender but works for anyone who serves food. Another meaning of server is the computer hardware in a network of linked computers that allows those devices to work properly.

Example Sentences

While working as a room service server at a hotel, he helped unionize his workplace and became active in the labor movement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In one case the server gestured to a sign which said "traditional fish and chips".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Late last year, Nvidia paid $20 billion to license the technology and hire the leadership team of chip startup Groq, and recently announced a new inference-focused server that features its chips.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

In particular, Naji noted that Rambus is forecasting central-processing unit server shipments this year will grow by a low double-digit percentage, which is lower than many industry estimates.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

The next server slapped margarine on two bread squares, which he laid like a pyramid over the eggs.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• flight attendant
• hostess
• stewardess
• waiter
• waitress