SERVE

serve, service

(noun) (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play; “his powerful serves won the game”

serve

(verb) put the ball into play; “It was Agassi’s turn to serve”

serve

(verb) do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function; “He served as head of the department for three years”; “She served in Congress for two terms”

serve, serve up, dish out, dish up, dish

(verb) provide (usually but not necessarily food); “We serve meals for the homeless”; “She dished out the soup at 8 P.M.”; “The entertainers served up a lively show”

serve, help

(verb) help to some food; help with food or drink; “I served him three times, and after that he helped himself”

serve, service

(verb) mate with; “male animals serve the females for breeding purposes”

serve, process, swear out

(verb) deliver a warrant or summons to someone; “He was processed by the sheriff”

serve, attend to, wait on, attend, assist

(verb) work for or be a servant to; “May I serve you?”; “She attends the old lady in the wheelchair”; “Can you wait on our table, please?”; “Is a salesperson assisting you?”; “The minister served the King for many years”

service, serve

(verb) be used by; as of a utility; “The sewage plant served the neighboring communities”; “The garage served to shelter his horses”

serve

(verb) devote (part of) one’s life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas; “She served the art of music”; “He served the church”; “serve the country”

suffice, do, answer, serve

(verb) be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity; “A few words would answer”; “This car suits my purpose well”; “Will $100 do?”; “A ‘B’ grade doesn’t suffice to get me into medical school”; “Nothing else will serve”

serve

(verb) contribute or conduce to; “The scandal served to increase his popularity”

serve, serve well

(verb) promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to; “Art serves commerce”; “Their interests are served”; “The lake serves recreation”; “The President’s wisdom has served the country well”

serve, function

(verb) serve a purpose, role, or function; “The tree stump serves as a table”; “The female students served as a control group”; “This table would serve very well”; “His freedom served him well”; “The table functions as a desk”

serve, do

(verb) spend time in prison or in a labor camp; “He did six years for embezzlement”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

serve (plural serves)

(sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.

(chiefly, Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.

Synonyms

• (act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play): service

• (portion of food): See serving

Antonyms

• (sports: act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play): receive

Verb

serve (third-person singular simple present serves, present participle serving, simple past and past participle served)

(personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).

(transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. [from 12^thc.]

(transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. [from 13^thc.]

(transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. [from 13^thc.]

(intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service. [from 14^thc.]

(transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person. [from 15^thc.]

(transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner. [from 13^thc.]

(transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of. [from 14^thc.]

To be effective.

(transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of. [from 14^thc.]

(intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something. [from 14^thc.]

(intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead of something else. [from 14^thc.]

(transitive, legal) To deliver a document.

To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.). [from 15^thc.]

To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)

(transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. [from 16^thc.]

(transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. [from 16^thc.]

(intransitive) To be in military service. [from 16^thc.]

(transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon). [from 18^thc.]

(transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). [from 19^thc.]

(nautical) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.

(transitive) To perform (a public obligation).

(ambitransitive, slang, drugs) To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.

Synonyms

• (to be a servant to): attend, bestand, wait on; See also serve

Anagrams

• 'verse, -verse, reves, sever, veers, verse

Source: Wiktionary

Serve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Served; p. pr. & vb. n. Serving.] Etym: [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf. Conserve, Desert merit, Dessert, Observe, Serf, Sergeant.]

1. To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.; specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship. God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit. Rom. i. 9. Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. Gen. xxix. 18. No man can serve two masters. Matt. vi. 24. Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies. Shak.

2. To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to appear as the inferior of; to minister to. Bodies bright and greater should not serve The less not bright. Milton.

3. To be suitor to; to profess love to. [Obs.] To serve a lady in his beste wise. Chaucer.

4. To wait upon; to supply the wants of; to attend; specifically, to wait upon at table; to attend at meals; to supply with food; as, to serve customers in a shop. Others, pampered in their shameless pride, Are served in plate and in their chariots ride. Dryden.

5. Hence, to bring forward, arrange, deal, or distribute, as a portion of anything, especially of food prepared for eating; -- often with up; formerly with in. Bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. Shak. Some part he roasts, then serves it up so dressed. Dryde.

6. To perform the duties belonging to, or required in or for; hence, to be of use to; as, a curate may serve two churches; to serve one's country.

7. To contribute or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient for; to satisfy; as, to serve one's turn. Turn it into some advantage, by observing where it can serve another end. Jer. Taylor.

8. To answer or be (in the place of something) to; as, a sofa serves one for a seat and a couch.

9. To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act toward; as, he served me very ill.

10. To work; to operate; as, to serve the guns.

11. (Law) (a) To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively, in such manner as the law requires; as, to serve a summons. (b) To make legal service opon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.); as, to serve a witness with a subpoena.

12. To pass or spend, as time, esp. time of punishment; as, to serve a term in prison.

13. To copulate with; to cover; as, a horse serves a mare; -- said of the male.

14. (Tennis)

Definition: To lead off in delivering (the ball).

15. (Naut.)

Definition: To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather. See under Serving. To serve an attachment or a writ of attachment (Law), to levy it on the person or goods by seizure, or to seize.

– To serve an execution (Law), to levy it on a lands, goods, or person, by seizure or taking possession.

– To serve an office, to discharge a public duty.

– To serve a process (Law), in general, to read it, so as to give due notice to the party concerned, or to leave an attested copy with him or his attorney, or his usual place of abode.

– To serve a warrant, to read it, and seize the person against whom it is issued.

– To serve a writ (Law), to read it to the defendant, or to leave an attested copy at his usual place of abode.

– To serve one out, to retaliate upon; to requite. "I'll serve you out for this." C. Kingsley.

– To serve one right, to treat, or cause to befall one, according to his deserts; -- used commonly of ill deserts; as, it serves the scoundrel right; -- To serve one's self of, to avail one's self of; to make use of. [A Gallicism] I will serve myself of this concession. Chillingworth.

– To serve out, to distribute; as, to serve out rations.

– To serve the time or the hour, to regulate one's actions by the requirements of the time instead of by one's duty; to be a timeserver. [Obs.] They think herein we serve the time, because thereby we either hold or seek preferment. Hooker.

Syn.

– To obey; minister to; subserve; promote; aid; help; assist; benefit; succor.

Serve, v. i.

1. To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection or bondage; to render menial service. The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve. Isa. xiv. 3.

2. To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc. But Martha . . . said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone Luke x. 40.

3. To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of an office or employment. Specifically, to act in the public service, as a soldier, seaman. etc. Many . . . who had before been great commanders, but now served as private gentlemen without pay. Knolles.

4. To be of use; to answer a purpose; to suffice; to suit; to be convenient or favorable. This little brand will serve to light your fire. Dryden. As occasion serves, this noble queen And prince shall follow with a fresh supply. Shak.

5. (Tennis)

Definition: To lead off in delivering the ball.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

SERVE

Etymology

Noun

Synonyms

Antonyms

Verb

Synonyms

Anagrams

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