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• service
  service

  noun

  an act of helpful activity; help; aid.
• Service
  Service

  noun

  Robert W(illiam), 1874–1958, Canadian writer, born in England.

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The U.S. Secret Service was originally created to fight what crime?

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service

¹ American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. an act of helpful activity; help; aid.

   to do someone a service.

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

3. the providing or a provider of accommodation and activities required by the public, as maintenance, repair, etc..

   The manufacturer guarantees service and parts.

4. the organized system of apparatus, appliances, employees, etc., for supplying some accommodation required by the public.

   a television repair service.

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

   telephone service;

   bus service.

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

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

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

   the diplomatic service.

9. the duty or work of public servants.

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

11. Military.

    1. the armed forces.

       in the service.

    2. a branch of the armed forces, as the army or navy.

       Which service were you in during the war?

12. Ordnance. the actions required in loading and firing a cannon.

    service of the piece.

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

    medical services.

14. 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.

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

16. a ritual or form prescribed for public worship or for some particular occasion.

    the marriage service.

17. the serving of God by obedience, piety, etc..

    voluntary service.

18. a musical setting of the sung portions of a liturgy.

19. a set of dishes, utensils, etc., for general table use or for particular use.

    a tea service;

    service for eight.

20. answering service.

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

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

23. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.)

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

    2. the ball or shuttlecock as put into play.

24. the mating of a female animal with the male.

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adjective

1. of service; useful.

2. of, relating to, or used by servants, delivery people, etc., or in serving food.

   service stairs;

   the service pieces in a set of dishes.

3. supplying aids or services rather than products or goods.

   Medicine is one of the service professions.

4. supplying maintenance and repair.

   He operates a service center for electrical appliances.

5. of, for, or pertaining to the armed forces of a country or one of them.

   a service academy.

6. charged for providing service.

   a service fee of 15 percent on the restaurant check.

7. providing, authorizing, or guaranteeing service: a service contract.

   a service industry;

   a service contract.

verb (used with object)

• services,
  present (3rd person singular)
• serviced,
  past participle,  past
• servicing
  present participle

1. to make fit for use; repair; restore to condition for service.

   to service an automobile.

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

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

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

idioms

1. 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.

2. be of service, to be helpful or useful.

   If we can be of service, do not hesitate to call.

service ² American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. a European or North American service tree, especially Sorbus domestica.

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Service ³ American  

[sur-vis] / ˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

1. Robert W(illiam), 1874–1958, Canadian writer, born in England.

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service ¹ British  

/ ˈsɜːvɪs /

noun

1. an act of help or assistance

2. an organized system of labour and material aids used to supply the needs of the public

   telephone service

   bus service

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

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

5. a periodic overhaul made on a car, machine, etc

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

7. a department of public employment and its employees

   civil service

8. employment in or performance of work for another

   he has been in the service of our firm for ten years

9. the work of a public servant

10. 1. one of the branches of the armed forces

    2. ( as modifier )

       service life

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

12. the act or manner of serving food

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

14. public worship carried out according to certain prescribed forms

    divine service

15. the prescribed form according to which a specific kind of religious ceremony is to be carried out

    the burial service

16. 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

17. sport

    1. the act, manner, or right of serving a ball

    2. Often shortened to: serve. the game in which a particular player serves

       he has lost his service

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

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

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

21. (of male animals) the act of mating

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

23. (modifier) serving the public rather than producing goods

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verb

1. to provide service or services

2. to make fit for use

3. to supply with assistance

4. to overhaul (a car, machine, etc)

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

6. to meet interest and capital payments on (debt)

Service ² British  

/ 'sɜːvɪs /

noun

1. 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)

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service ³ British  

/ ˈsɜːvɪs /

noun

1. See service tree

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service More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unserviced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• servicing
  present
• serviced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• service
  simple
• services
  simple
• have serviced
  perfect
• has serviced
  perfect
• am servicing
  progressive
• are servicing
  progressive
• is servicing
  progressive
• have been servicing
  perfect progressive
• has been servicing
  perfect progressive

Past

• serviced
  simple
• had serviced
  perfect
• was servicing
  progressive
• were servicing
  progressive
• had been servicing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will service
  simple
• will have serviced
  perfect
• will be servicing
  progressive
• will have been servicing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of service¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English (noun), from Old French, from Latin servitium “servitude,” equivalent to serv(us) “slave” + -itium noun suffix ( see -ice); replacing Middle English servise, late Old English serfise “ceremony,” from Old French servise, variant of service

Origin of service²

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier serves, plural of obsolete serve “service tree”; Middle English; Old English syrfe, from unattested Vulgar Latin sorbea, derivative of Latin sorbus sorb ¹

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Explanation

If you perform duties that help someone else, you're providing a service. If you make dinner for your neighbor's children while she's in the hospital, you're doing a good service. Service has many uses, all having to do with serving someone, or doing something for them. In a restaurant the waiter provides service, and if you do something nice for someone, you've done him a good service. If you're in someone's service that means you work for her. Service can also mean a verb meaning "to fix," like when the maintenance whiz services the photocopier, or the mechanic services your car. In church, a ceremony is also called a service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

service Service services serviced servicing

Similar wave heights were anticipated in Ventura County, while San Luis Obispo County could see waves of 10 to 15 feet building to 18 to 25 feet, the service said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

On its website, the company said all its products were operational, including its Microsoft 365 subscription service for apps such as Teams and Excel that had been widely down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026

Last year Tesla debuted its self-driving cars in Austin using its Model Y SUV vehicles, with the Robotaxi service gradually expanding to several other cities in Texas, Florida and California.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026

A small craft was then deployed which - along with "land-based units" from the local fire and rescue service - conducted "a thorough sweep of the area but found no one in the water".

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

I know the suffragettes have made use of the Hello Girls’ service for their own cause.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

They say they can’t determine whether any current scholarships, admissions policies, student groups or curricular choices would run afoul of the Internal Revenue Service and risk disastrous financial consequences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026

High surf is expected, possibly enough to cause pier damage, especially over the weekend on the Central Coast, the National Weather Service said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

He was later accused by the presiding officer of making offensive remarks in a debate about the crisis-hit Welsh Gender Service.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

Hegseth "proudly awarded Specialist Thomas Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026," a Pentagon official said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

Burns, a former Secret Service agent, had succeeded Pinkerton as the world’s most celebrated private eye.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Andrew, a security guard, says he had to prevent Arter from going to a nearby street party, before emergency services arrived.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026

For Wingstop, which saw almost 74% of its restaurant sales in its third quarter this year come from its app and online food delivery and pickup services, efficient technology is everything.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026

Soon, the contents of the cooler “went from looking like smooth beach sand to an eruption of baby turtles,” said Dr. Lance Adams, the aquarium’s director of veterinary services.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

Because the program requires little specialized equipment or additional staff training, researchers say healthcare professionals could readily incorporate it into existing treatment services.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026

The Executive Order prohibits U.S. persons from performing any contract in support of a commercial project in Yugoslavia, as well as from exporting services to Yugoslavia.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

It is thought the workshop serviced Roman society in Chester, but there is also evidence on the site through pottery fragments recovered that trading was as far away as mainland Europe.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Although the bureau previously said it serviced more than 5,000 receptacles citywide, Johnson said many automated bins have since been damaged or destroyed, prompting the department to switch to more durable metal slatted bins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

To determine how those companies’ treatment patterns compared with competitors, the Journal identified a comparison group of other providers in the states serviced by the private-equity-backed companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

There are signs of trouble ahead for securitized commercial real-estate loans, with a “specially serviced rate” of 12%, which is combination of delinquent loans and those likely to default, according to research by Deutsche Bank.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

They were mechanics who serviced different parts of the same machine.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Existing wells cannot be redrilled, deepened or expanded, though routine servicing and maintenance are allowed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The cost of servicing debt is expected to rise 15% to €91 billion next year, the government said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Network designers, field support engineers, installers, all need to learn new skills around installation and servicing.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

These maneuvers are intended to test technologies that could eventually be used for in-space satellite servicing, including future missions in which one spacecraft approaches and works near another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

Collectively, the tenements, along with the one outside lavatory servicing them all, constituted yard number forty-seven, and our address, therefore, was Forty-seven Thirteenth Avenue.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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