# serve

Pronunciation: say "SURV" US /sɝv/, UK /sɜːv/

## Verb

1. To do the duties of a job, office, or public role, such as holding office or sitting on a jury.
   - Simple: To do a job or have an official role, such as being mayor or on a jury.
   - _She served as mayor for two terms before retiring._
   - _Many volunteers serve without any pay._
2. To give food or drink to someone, setting it on the table or bringing it to them at a meal.
   - Simple: To give people food or drinks, for example at a meal.
   - _The host served roasted lamb to her guests._
   - _Restaurants serve their signature dishes on heated plates._
3. To be useful to someone or something; to meet a need.
   - Simple: To be useful to someone or to give them what they need.
   - _A modest budget can serve a small team for a whole year._
   - _The old shed has served the family well for decades._
4. To be used as or for something, often in place of the usual thing.
   - Simple: To be used as something, often instead of the usual thing.
   - _The old lighthouse now serves as a museum._
   - _When the power goes out, a few candles and an old flashlight will have to serve as our only light._
5. To supply an area or a community with goods, a service, or transportation.
   - Simple: To supply a place or a group of people with goods, services, or ways to travel.
   - _The new rail line will serve the fast-growing suburbs north of the city._
   - _A single hospital serves the entire county and its forty thousand residents._
6. To be in military service, as a member of the armed forces.
   - Simple: To be a member of the armed forces.
   - _She served in the army for eight years._
   - _Many young people choose to serve during wartime._
7. To wait on a customer in a store, bar, or restaurant, taking the order or selling the person what they ask for.
   - Simple: To help a customer in a store, bar, or restaurant by taking their order or selling them what they want.
   - _It took twenty minutes for anyone to serve us at the counter._
   - _The bartender ignored us and served the couple who had just walked in._
8. To spend a set length of time in prison, as required by a sentence.
   - Simple: To spend a set period of time in prison as punishment.
   - _He served a five-year sentence for fraud._
   - _They will serve the remainder of their terms at a lower-security facility._
12. To begin a point by sending the first ball or shuttlecock over the net, as in tennis, volleyball, or badminton.
   - Simple: To start a point by hitting the ball over the net in games like tennis.
   - _Players serve from behind the baseline in tennis._
   - _She served an ace to clinch the match._
14. Of a dish or recipe, to provide enough food for a given number of people.
   - Simple: To be enough food for a certain number of people.
   - _Double the ingredients if you want the soup to serve twelve._
   - _The casserole serves six as a main course or eight as a side dish._
9. To be a servant to someone; to work for or be employed by them.
   - Simple: To work for someone as their servant or employee.
   - _For decades she served the same noble household._
   - _Loyal staff serve the estate from one generation to the next._
15. To officially deliver a summons, writ, or other legal document, in the way the law requires.
   - Simple: To officially give someone a legal paper, such as an order to go to court.
   - _A process server served the defendant at his home._
   - _Lawyers must serve the summons within a set time frame._
10. To worship and obey a god, or to minister to one as a priest or other official attendant.
   - Simple: To worship and obey a god, sometimes as a priest or other official helper.
   - _For decades she served Athena as her dedicated priestess._
   - _Vestal priestesses serve the goddess and tend her sacred flame._
16. To sell or supply illegal drugs, especially crack cocaine, to someone; to deal. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To sell illegal drugs, especially crack cocaine, to someone.
   - _Undercover officers watched him serve crack to buyers on the corner._
   - _Undercover officers watched the young men serve crack users from a doorway, handing over small rocks for crumpled bills._
17. To present a striking, confident look, showing off a style or evoking someone through one's appearance. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To show off a strong, stylish look, sometimes one that reminds people of someone.
   - _Those models really serve every time they hit the runway._
   - _On the red carpet, she likes to serve old Hollywood glamour, with satin gloves, red lips, and perfectly pinned curls._
19. To work or operate a weapon, especially an artillery piece.
   - Simple: To work or fire a weapon, especially a big gun such as a cannon.
   - _The crew served the field gun under heavy fire._
   - _Trained men serve the battery's guns in rotating shifts._
20. Of a male animal, to copulate with a female; to cover.
   - Simple: Of a male animal, to mate with a female.
   - _The ram served the ewes over a two-week period._
   - _A single prize bull can serve dozens of cows in a season._

## Noun

13. The stroke that puts the ball or shuttlecock into play to begin a point.
   - Simple: The hit that starts play in games like tennis or volleyball.
   - _His powerful serve overwhelmed the opponent._
   - _The match turned on a series of well-placed serves._
11. A portion of food or drink suitable for one person. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: An amount of food or drink meant for one person.
   - _The recipe makes four generous serves._
   - _He asked for an extra serve of vegetables with his meal._
18. A striking, attention-commanding presentation, especially of one's personal appearance. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A bold, stylish look or entrance that grabs everyone's attention.
   - _Each of her runway looks this season has been a serve._
   - _When she walked into the party in a floor-length red cape, everyone agreed the outfit was a total serve._

## Verb

21. To treat someone in a specified manner. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To treat someone in a certain way.
22. To court someone; to be a person's suitor or lover. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To court someone, hoping to win their love.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To wind spun yarn or similar tightly around a rope or cable to protect it from chafing or from the weather.

## Origin

Latin servus ("slave; servant"), which may come from Etruscan or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- ("watch over, protect"), gave serviō ("be a slave; serve"); that verb became Old French servir and then Middle English serven.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/serve (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).