serve

verb
UK: /sɜːv/
US: /sɝːv/

  1. To give or provide something to someone.

    1. I will serve you some tea now, please wait a moment. [ ] [ ]
    2. The waiter will serve our meal as soon as it is ready from the kitchen. [ ] [ ]

  2. To perform duties or work for someone or an organization.

    1. I serve the customers every day at my store. [ ] [ ]
    2. She had the honor to serve as the president of the organization for two years. [ ] [ ]

  3. To present food or drink to someone.

    1. I will serve dinner at six tonight in the dining room. [ ] [ ]
    2. Could you serve the appetizers before the main course is ready, please. [ ] [ ]

  4. To spend a period of time in the armed forces, in prison, or in a particular job.

    1. He had to serve time for his crime in prison. [ ] [ ]
    2. She decided to serve in the army after finishing high school graduation. [ ] [ ]

  5. To be useful or suitable for a particular purpose.

    1. This box should serve as a good seat in the meantime. [ ] [ ]
    2. The old blanket can serve as a makeshift picnic blanket for our outing. [ ] [ ]

  6. In sports such as tennis, to hit the ball to start play.

    1. She will serve the ball to begin the tennis match. [ ] [ ]
    2. The player needs to practice serving more effectively to win more matches. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

supply suffice assist provide function help work dish up oblige
serve noun

  1. A portion of food given to one person at a meal.

    1. I would like a serve of ice cream, please. [ ] [ ]
    2. This is a big serve of pasta, are you able to eat it all by yourself? [ ] [ ]

  2. The action of hitting the ball to start play in sports such as tennis.

    1. His serve was too fast, and I missed the ball. [ ] [ ]
    2. Her powerful serve gave her an advantage from the very beginning of match. [ ] [ ]
serve transitive-verb

  1. The act of delivering a legal document to someone.

    1. The serve of papers in a lawsuit is a formal process. [ ] [ ]
    2. The serve must be done properly so the documents must be delivered correctly. [ ] [ ]
serve intransitive-verb

  1. To wait on customers in a shop or restaurant.

    1. I like to serve people with smile on my face. [ ] [ ]
    2. The shop assistant can serve you as soon as they are available at the counter. [ ] [ ]

  2. To be in military service.

    1. He decided to serve his country after graduation. [ ] [ ]
    2. Many young people choose to serve for a better future. [ ] [ ]
serve phrasal-verb

  1. To be suitable for a purpose.

    1. This container will serve as my lunchbox today. [ ] [ ]
    2. The pillow will serve as a headrest during the car ride. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "serve" in English means: To give or provide something to someone., To perform duties or work for someone or an organization., To present food or drink to someone., To spend a period of time in the armed forces, in prison, or in a particular job., To be useful or suitable for a particular purpose., In sports such as tennis, to hit the ball to start play..

The phonetic transcription of "serve" is /sɜːv/ in British English and /sɝːv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "serve": supply, suffice, assist, provide, function, help, work, dish up, oblige.

Example usage of "serve": "I will serve you some tea now, please wait a moment.". More examples on the page.