What does "serve" mean?
An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
Serve
/sɝv/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
- Grammar: serve is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aid, assist, attend, attend to.
- Useful contrasts: lord, lording, receive.
- Usage evidence: We must always try to serve others.
How to use "serve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "serve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "serve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "serve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "serve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "serve" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aid" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "serve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
"Whose serve is it?"
- 2 (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play wordnet
- 3 A portion of food or drink, a serving. Australia
"The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein."
- 4 An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
"That white eyeliner is such a serve."
Verb
- 1 To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).; To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. personal, transitive
"And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve."
- 2 put the ball into play wordnet
- 3 To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).; To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. personal, transitive
"And truly, Mrs. Abigal, I muſt needs ſay, I ſerv'd my Maſter contentedly, vvhile he vvas living; but I vvill ſerve no Man living (that is, no Man that is not living) vvithout double VVages."
- 4 do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function wordnet
- 5 To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).; To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. personal, transitive
"That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad."
Show 33 more definitions
- 6 provide (usually but not necessarily food) wordnet
- 7 To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).; To render service by being a servant, worker, employee, or officeholder; to hold those roles and perform their duties. factive, intransitive, personal
"They also serve who only stand and wait."
- 8 help to some food; help with food or drink wordnet
- 9 To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).; To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person. personal, transitive
"About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left."
- 10 mate with wordnet
- 11 To treat (someone) in a given manner. archaic, transitive
"Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country: VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he, England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free."
- 12 deliver a warrant or summons to someone wordnet
- 13 To be suitor to; to be the lover of. archaic, transitive
"That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue."
- 14 do military service wordnet
- 15 To be effective.; To be useful to; to meet the needs of. transitive
"Will somebody please explain to these people that the values of cultural diversity are not served by an ad placing a menorah under a fucking Christmas tree!"
- 16 work for, or be a servant to wordnet
- 17 To be effective.; To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something. intransitive
"The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless."
- 18 be used by; as of a utility wordnet
- 19 To be effective.; To usefully take the place as, instead of something else. intransitive
"Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft."
- 20 devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas wordnet
- 21 To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.; To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.). transitive
"a document served on the tenant"
- 22 be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity wordnet
- 23 To deliver a document in such a way that the recipient can be legally considered to be informed of it.; To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.) transitive
"to serve a witness with a subpoena"
- 24 contribute or conduce to wordnet
- 25 To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. intransitive, transitive
"In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result."
- 26 promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to wordnet
- 27 To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. transitive
"Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant."
- 28 serve a purpose, role, or function wordnet
- 29 To be in military service. intransitive
"Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone."
- 30 spend time in prison or in a labor camp wordnet
- 31 To work, to operate (a weapon). transitive
"John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe."
- 32 To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). transitive
"The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years."
- 33 To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
- 34 To perform (a public obligation). transitive
"I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial."
- 35 To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing. ambitransitive, slang
"Once I began selling crack, money was no issue. I would be out 2-3 days at a time, up for 24 hours a day. It was a full time job, serving crack fiends."
- 36 To present an attractive personal appearance.; To present an attractive personal appearance. intransitive
"[…] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […]"
- 37 To present an attractive personal appearance.; To attractively display (something, especially a body part) as part of one's personal appearance. transitive
"I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max."
- 38 To present an attractive personal appearance.; To evoke (something, especially a person) with one's personal appearance. transitive
"Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it."
Example
"We must always try to serve others."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "serve"?
Common synonyms include: aid, assist, attend, attend to, dish, do.
How do you use "serve" in a sentence?
We must always try to serve others.
How do you pronounce "serve"?
Pronounced /sɝv/.
Etymology
From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).