serve
7 ENTRIES FOUND:
serves;
served;
serving
serves;
served;
serving
Britannica Dictionary definition of SERVE
1
a
[+ object]
:
to give (food or drink) to someone at a meal, in a restaurant, etc.
—
see also serve up (below)
-
Soup was served as the first course.
-
The waiter served our meals quickly.
-
The restaurant serves excellent Italian food.
-
Dinner is served. [=dinner is on the table and ready to be eaten]
b
:
to give food or drink to (someone)
[+ object]
-
The waiter who served us was very nice.
-
Feel free to serve yourself at the salad bar.
[no object]
-
You carve the turkey, and I'll serve.
2
[+ object]
:
to be enough food for (a particular number of people)
-
We need to make enough soup to serve [=feed] eight people.
-
The roast should serve six.
3
[+ object]
:
to provide service to (a customer)
:
to help (a customer) make purchases
-
I'm afraid all of our salespeople are serving other customers right now.
-
What can we do to serve our customers better?
4
[no object]
a
:
to be used or seen in a particular way
— + as
-
The trees can serve as shelter from the rain.
-
The organization serves as a model of social responsibility.
-
The accident serves as [=is] a reminder of the dangers of drunk driving.
-
Let that serve as [=be] a lesson to you.
b
:
to have a particular result or effect
— often + as
— often followed by to + verb
-
Babysitting his nieces served as a test of his patience.
-
She tried hard but her efforts only served to bring more attention to her lack of experience.
5
a
[+ object]
:
to be useful or helpful to (someone)
-
Her quick wit has served her well on many occasions.
b
:
to provide what is needed by or for (someone or something)
—
see also self-serving
[+ object]
-
The library serves the community. = The library serves the needs of the community. [=provides things that the community needs]
-
He argued that government too often serves the interests of big business. [=does things to help big business instead of ordinary people]
-
Arguing with him serves no purpose. [=is not useful or helpful in any way]
-
If (my) memory serves me (right/correctly) [=if I remember correctly], she is from Los Angeles.
-
Many people do not believe that justice has been served in his case. [=that he has been given proper punishment or fair treatment by the legal system]
[no object]
-
If memory serves, she is from Los Angeles.
c
[+ object]
:
to provide (an area or group of people) with a particular service
-
This neighborhood is not served with/by garbage collection.
-
Two elementary schools serve the town.
6
:
to hold a particular office, position, etc.
:
to perform a duty or job
[no object]
-
They served on the jury.
-
She served on the city council for years.
-
He served as the club's adviser.
-
He served for five years in the army. = He served in the army for five years.
-
She was elected to serve for a second term.
[+ object]
-
We honor those who serve our country.
-
She served a two-year apprenticeship.
7
[+ object]
:
to be in prison for or during (a period of time)
-
He's serving two years for robbery.
-
She is serving a life/10-year sentence.
-
He has served time [=spent time in prison] for drug possession.
8
[+ object]
law
:
to send or give (someone) official legal papers
-
He served her with divorce papers.
-
The police officer served a summons/writ on him.
9
[+ object]
:
to give respect and service to (someone or something)
-
She dedicated her whole life to serving God.
10
sports
:
to throw a ball into the air and hit it over a net to start play in tennis, volleyball, etc.
[no object]
-
It's your turn to serve.
[+ object]
-
They flipped a coin to decide who would serve the ball first.
first come, first served
serve out
[phrasal verb]
serve (something) out
or
serve out (something)
:
to complete (a term in office, a prison sentence, etc.)
-
He vowed that he would serve out his five-year term as chairperson.
-
She served out her sentence in a prison in New York.
serve (someone) right
— used to say that someone who has behaved badly deserves a particular punishment, problem, etc.
-
“I hear his wife is divorcing him.” “It serves him right after the way he's treated her.”
-
“He won't even talk to me.” “(It) Serves you right for lying to him.”
serve two masters
:
to give equal support to two different causes, groups, etc.
-
You cannot serve two masters.
serve up
[phrasal verb]
serve up (something)
or
serve (something) up
:
to give (food) to someone at a meal, in a restaurant, etc.
— sometimes used figuratively
-
That little restaurant serves up some of the best Indian food in the city.
-
The movie serves up a ton of laughs. [=the movie is very funny]
2
serve
/ˈsɚv/
noun
plural
serves
2
serve
/ˈsɚv/
noun
plural
serves
Britannica Dictionary definition of SERVE
[count]
sports
:
the act or action of throwing a ball into the air and hitting it over a net to start play in tennis, volleyball, etc.
-
She started the game with a powerful serve.
-
It's your serve. [=it's your turn to serve the ball]
