serve

serve: verb

1》 perform duties or services for.

    ↘be employed as a member of the armed forces.

    ↘spend (a period) in office, in an apprenticeship, or in prison.

2》 present food or drink to (someone).

    ↘(of food or drink) be enough for.

    ↘attend to (a customer in a shop).

    ↘Christian Church act as a server at the celebration of the Eucharist.

3》 Law formally deliver (a summons or writ) to the person to whom it is addressed.

4》 be of use in achieving something or fulfilling a purpose.

    ↘treat in a specified way.

    ↘(of a male breeding animal) copulate with (a female).

5》 (in tennis and other racket sports) hit the ball or shuttlecock to begin play for each point of a game.

    ↘(serve out) Tennis win the final game of a set or match while serving.

6》 Nautical bind (a rope) with thin cord to protect or strengthen it.

7》 Military operate (a gun).

8》 archaic play (a trick) on.

noun

1》 an act of serving in tennis, badminton, etc.

2》 Austral. informal a reprimand.

Phrases

serve someone right be someone's deserved punishment or misfortune.

serve one's (or its) turn be useful or helpful.

Origin

ME: from OFr. servir, from L. servire, from servus 'slave'.

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Synonyms:

Work for, labor for, be under the orders of, be subservient to, obey, subserve, Be a servant, be a slave, be in bondage, be in subjection / Comply with, yield to, submit to / Aid, assist, help, succor, attend, oblige, wait on, minister to, Obey, be dutiful, perform duty / Promote, advance, forward, benefit, contribute to, be of use to, conduce to, assist, besufficient for, Answer, do, be sufficient, be of use / Satisfy, content, be sufficient for, Suit, be convenient, be suitable / Treat, behave toward, requite, act toward, Attend, wait on / Manage, manipulate, handle, work, Act, discharge the requirements of, officiate, minister / Wait on, attend, supply (with food) / Place, arrange, bring forward, deal, distribute / Be in lieu of, answer, do duty for

Look at other dictionaries:

Serve — Serve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Served}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Serving}.] [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.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
serve — → serf ● serf, serve adjectif (latin servus, esclave) Relatif à l état des serfs : Des hommes de condition serve. Littéraire. Qui fait preuve d une soumission complète à l égard d autrui. ● serf, serve (homonymes) adjectif (latin servus, esclave) … Encyclopédie Universelle
serve — [sɜːv ǁ sɜːrv] verb 1. [transitive] COMMERCE to supply customers with a particular product or service or with something they need: • The firm plans to open a London office to serve clients with investments and businesses in Europe. • JAL Group… … Financial and business terms
serve — [sʉrv] vt. served, serving [ME serven < OFr servir < L servire, to serve < servus, servant, slave: see SERF] 1. to work for as a servant 2. a) to do services or duties for; give service to; aid; assist; help b) to give obedience and… … English World dictionary
serve — vt served, serv·ing 1: to deliver, publish, or execute (notice or process) as required by law no notice of any such request was ever served on the husband National Law Journal 2: to make legal service upon (the person named in a process): inform… … Law dictionary
serve — late 12c., to render habitual obedience to, from O.Fr. servir to serve, from L. servire to serve, originally be a slave, related to servus slave, perhaps from an Etruscan word (Cf. Etruscan proper names Servi, Serve). Meaning to attend to (a… … Etymology dictionary
Serve — 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. [1913 Webster] The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
serve — ► VERB 1) perform duties or services for. 2) be employed as a member of the armed forces. 3) spend (a period) in office, in an apprenticeship, or in prison. 4) present food or drink to. 5) attend to (a customer in a shop). 6) be of use in… … English terms dictionary
serve — [v1] aid, help; supply arrange, assist, attend to, be of assistance, be of use, care for, deal, deliver, dish up*, distribute, do for, give, handle, hit, minister to, nurse, oblige, play, present, provide, provision, set out, succor, wait on,… … New thesaurus
Serve — may refer to: * Serve (tennis) * Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment * Providing a non material good, as in the work of a servant * Supplying customers with food and drink, as in the work of a food server * Delivering a legal or… … Wikipedia
serve up — (something) to offer something. The TV miniseries will be serving up five hour long programs. Hitchcock served up a pitch that Perez hit over the fence for a home run. Filmgoers demand realism, and Lee serves it up without flash or tricks in his… … New idioms dictionary

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