service break
Americannoun
-
an instance of a player winning a game against a server.
-
a game won against an opponent's service.
Etymology
Origin of service break
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
Murphy lays out a provocative agenda for Democrats to call Americans to national service, break up corporate power, rebuild local communities, and create a bigger tent that reaches disaffected conservatives hungry for change.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
That meant Rune got the point, and when he won the next one, too, he had a service break.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
Gauff halted her briefly in the first set with a service break that cut Garcia’s lead to 4-1, and she held serve the next game, clinching it with an ace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2022
That point gave Djokovic a valuable service break for 2-1.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2022
Big O'Ryan took the first set six games to three on a single service break against the Indonesian champion.
From The Ambassador by Merwin, Sam
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.
