service

[sur-vis]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR service ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.

the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities, as water, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public.

the providing or a provider of accommodation and activities required by the public, as maintenance, repair, etc.: The manufacturer guarantees service and parts.

the organized system of apparatus, appliances, employees, etc., for supplying some accommodation required by the public: a television repair service.

the supplying or a supplier of public communication and transportation: telephone service; bus service.

the performance of duties or the duties performed as or by a waiter or servant; occupation or employment as a waiter or servant.

employment in any duties or work for a person, organization, government, etc.

a department of public employment, an administrative division of a government, or the body of public servants in it: the diplomatic service.

the duty or work of public servants.

the serving of a sovereign, state, or government in some official capacity.

Military.

the armed forces: in the service.
a branch of the armed forces, as the army or navy: Which service were you in during the war?

Ordnance. the actions required in loading and firing a cannon: service of the piece.

Often services. the performance of any duties or work for another; helpful or professional activity: medical services.

something made or done by a commercial organization for the public benefit and without regard to direct profit: Certain books are published at a loss as a public service.

Also called divine service. public religious worship according to prescribed form and order.

a ritual or form prescribed for public worship or for some particular occasion: the marriage service.

the serving of God by obedience, piety, etc.: voluntary service.

a musical setting of the sung portions of a liturgy.

a set of dishes, utensils, etc., for general table use or for particular use: a tea service; service for eight.

answering service.

Law. the serving of a process or writ upon a person.

Nautical. tarred spun yarn or other small stuff for covering the exterior of a rope.

(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.)

the act or manner of putting the ball or shuttlecock into play; serve.
the ball or shuttlecock as put into play.

the mating of a female animal with the male.

adjective

of service; useful.

of, relating to, or used by servants, delivery people, etc., or in serving food: service stairs; the service pieces in a set of dishes.

supplying aids or services rather than products or goods: Medicine is one of the service professions.

supplying maintenance and repair: He operates a service center for electrical appliances.

of, for, or pertaining to the armed forces of a country or one of them: a service academy.

charged for providing service: a service fee of 15 percent on the restaurant check.

providing, authorizing, or guaranteeing service: a service industry; a service contract.

verb (used with object), serv·iced, serv·ic·ing.

to make fit for use; repair; restore to condition for service: to service an automobile.

to supply with aid, information, or other incidental services.

(of a male animal) to mate with (a female animal).

Finance. to pay off (a debt) over a period of time, as by meeting periodic interest payments.

Idioms

at someone's service, ready to be of help or use to someone; at one's disposal: You will have an English-speaking guide at your service.

be of service, to be helpful or useful: If we can be of service, do not hesitate to call.

Origin of service

before 1100; Middle English (noun) < Old French < Latin servitium servitude, equivalent to serv(us) slave + -itium -ice; replacing Middle English servise, late Old English serfise ceremony < Old French servise, variant of service

Related formsun·serv·iced, adjective

service

[sur-vis]

noun

a service tree, especially Sorbus domestica.

the shadbush.

Origin of service

1520–30; earlier serves, plural of obsolete serve service tree; Middle English; Old English syrfe < Vulgar Latin *sorbea, derivative of Latin sorbus sorb¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for services

duty, use, office, business, supply, assistance, work, account, benefit, maintenance, employment, utility, function, appropriateness, overhaul, advantage, dispensation, employ, value, labor

Examples from the Web for services

Contemporary Examples of services

“We met the smuggler in the train station; he came to speak with us about the services he provided,” Yazbek says.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 6, 2015
Users “should be allowed to use these devices and services the way they were intended,” Brookman says.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security
Kyle Chayka
December 31, 2014
Services like Airbnb, Yelp, and yes, Uber are disrupting long-established industries, from taxis to hotels.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?
Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman
December 30, 2014
Her services include a makeup session for a night out for $50.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen
Sharon Adarlo
December 27, 2014
After signing on to the film, Moore enlisted the services of her 30 Rock costar Alec Baldwin to play her caring husband.
Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’
Marlow Stern
December 24, 2014

Historical Examples of services

In the midst of this generosity, the services of Geta and Milza were not forgotten.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
I can bear witness to the value of her services in South Carolina and Florida.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
I can only say that if my services are required I shall be found ready and willing.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
In the afternoon, services were held in the chapel downstairs.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The services of the priest had then to be dispensed with for weeks, even months, at a time.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for services

services

pl n

work performed for remuneration

the services the armed forces

(sometimes singular) economics commodities, such as banking, that are mainly intangible and usually consumed concurrently with their productionCompare goods (def. 2)

a system of providing the public with gas, water, etc

Service

noun

Robert (William). 1874–1958, Canadian poet, born in England; noted for his ballad-like poems of gold-rush era Yukon, such as 'The Shooting of Dan McGrew'; his books include Songs of a Sourdough (1907)

service

noun

an act of help or assistance

an organized system of labour and material aids used to supply the needs of the publictelephone service; bus service

the supply, installation, or maintenance of goods carried out by a dealer

the state of availability for use by the public (esp in the phrases into or out of service)

a periodic overhaul made on a car, machine, etc

the act or manner of serving guests, customers, etc, in a shop, hotel, restaurant, etc

a department of public employment and its employeescivil service

employment in or performance of work for anotherhe has been in the service of our firm for ten years

the work of a public servant

one of the branches of the armed forces
(as modifier)service life

the state, position, or duties of a domestic servant (esp in the phrase in service)

the act or manner of serving food

a complete set of dishes, cups, etc, for use at table

public worship carried out according to certain prescribed formsdivine service

the prescribed form according to which a specific kind of religious ceremony is to be carried outthe burial service

a unified collection of musical settings of the canticles and other liturgical items prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer as used in the Church of England

sport

the act, manner, or right of serving a ball
the game in which a particular player serveshe has lost his service Often shortened to: serve

(in feudal law) the duty owed by a tenant to his lord

the serving of a writ, summons, etc, upon a person

nautical a length of tarred marline or small stuff used in serving

(of male animals) the act of mating

(modifier) of, relating to, or for the use of servants or employees

(modifier) serving the public rather than producing goods

verb (tr)

to provide service or services

to make fit for use

to supply with assistance

to overhaul (a car, machine, etc)

(of a male animal) to mate with (a female)

British to meet interest and capital payments on (debt)

Word Origin for service

C12 servise, from Old French, from Latin servitium condition of a slave, from servus a slave

service

noun

See service tree

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for services

service

n.1

c.1100, "celebration of public worship," from Old French servise "act of homage; servitude; service at table; Mass, church ceremony," from Latin servitium "slavery, condition of a slave, servitude," also "slaves collectively," from servus "slave" (see serve (v.)).

Meaning "act of serving, occupation of an attendant servant" is attested from c.1200, as is that of "assistance, help; a helpful act." From c.1300 as "provision of food; sequence of dishes served in a meal;" from late 14c. as "service at table, attendance during a meal." Meaning "the furniture of the table" (tea service, etc.) is from mid-15c.

Meanings "state of being bound to undertake tasks for someone or at someone's direction; labor performed or undertaken for another" are mid-13c. Sense of "service or employment in a court or administration" is from c.1300, as is that of "military service (especially by a knight); employment as a soldier;" hence "the military as an occupation" (1706).

Also in Middle English "sexual intercourse, conjugal relations" (mid-15c.; service of Venus, or flesh's service). Service industry (as distinct from production) attested from 1938. A service station originally was a gas stop that also repaired cars.

service

1893, "to provide with service," from service (n.1). Meaning "perform work on" first recorded 1926. Related: Serviced; servicing.

service

n.2

type of tree or berry, extended form of serve (perhaps via Middle English plural serves being taken as a singular), from Old English syrfe, Old French sorbe, both from Vulgar Latin *sorbea, from Latin sorbus (see sorb).

services in Culture

services

Work done for others as an occupation or business. (Compare goods.)

Idioms and Phrases with services

service

see at someone's service; break someone's serve (service); lip service; of service to someone; press into service.